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a 


LIFE 


OF 

St. Clare of Montefalco, 


PROFESSED NUN OF THE ORDER OF HERMITS OF 
ST. AUGUSTINE. 


Cranslatetr from tfje Ktaltau of tfje 

Most Rev. LAWRENCE tardy, 

Formerly Vicar-General of the Augustinian Order, 


BY 

Rev. JOSEPH A. LOCKE, O. S. A. 



NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, AND ST. LOUIS: 

BENZIGEE BEOTHEES, 

PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE. 

1884. 



4-£>x 

Qsth • 
/ OZS 


Copyright, 1884, by Benziger Brothers. 




TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. 


We herewith present to the public our English version 
of the Life of St. Clare of Montefalco, written in Italian 
by Father Tardy, O.S.A. We are not without good rea-' 
sons for hoping that this little volume will prove both 
useful and agreeable to the English-speaking public. 
St. Clare’s case is an extraordinary one, and well worthy 
the attention of the faithful. She died in the odor of 
sanctity in the year 1308, and within eighteen years from 
her death the entire tedious process of her canonization 
was completed, and nothing remained to be done but for 
the Holy Father to issue his declaration. This he had 
determined to do; but the circumstances of the times, 
not his will, interfered, and the decree was not issued. 
The cause then lay unnoticed for more than four centu- 
ries, when it was again taken up and again laid aside — 
for no apparent reason, as Benedict XIV. himself re- 
marked. It was only after a lapse of nearly six centu- 
ries that it was finally brought to a successful issue 
under the present reigning Pontiff, Leo XIII., who can- 
onized St. Clare on September n, 1881. 

Now, who does not see here evident signs of the finger of 
God ? He who has arranged all things in number, weight, 
and measure, and without whose permission not even a 
hair may fall from our heads, is surely not without care for 
the honor and glory of His beloved servants the Saints. 
Can He who guards from corruption their mortal re- 
mains allow the blessed memory of their deeds and the 
sweet odor of their virtues to be lost through oblivion 
to succeeding generations ? Certainly not. We are, 


4 Translator s Preface. 

therefore, perfectly justified in concluding that it was by 
a special dispensation of Divine Providence that the can- 
onization of St. Clare was deferred for so long a time 
and reserved for our own days. God in His far-reaching 
wisdom saw that the spirit of mortification and the love 
of the Cross of Christ, which were the leading character- 
istics of Clare’s life, were just what were needed to rem- 
edy the evils of our times, and therefore He so arranged 
matters that her canonization did not take place till our 
day. He did not then neglect to guard the glory of His 
Saint, but merely chose for the procuring of it the time 
in which He knew that her example would be productive 
of most good. We do not make these statements on our 
own authority, for we thus read in the decree of her can- 
onization issued by our Holy Father, Leo XIII.: “We 
may then cherish the hope that in these our times, when 
the love of the Cross has grown very cold in Christian 
society, and there are many enemies of the Cross of 
Christ, whose God is their belly and whose glory is in 
confusion, as the Apostle formerly lamented, it has hap- 
pened by divine disposition that this virgin, who was 
most devout towards the Cross and Passion of Our 
Lord, should be raised to the supreme honors of the 
altar, so that through her example and prayers the love 
of the Cross and a zeal for it might be revived in the 
hearts and habits and daily life of Christians.” Thus 
speaks our Holy Father, and it is with the intention of 
contributing our mite towards the realization of his holy 
hope that we have undertaken to render into English 
this little work. Apart from this, however, we do not 
hesitate to say that the biography of St. Clare will well 
repay perusal, containing as it does the record of a noble 
and saintly life, rich in the highest and holiest examples 
of virtue, and made surpassingly grand by the extraordi- 
nary endowments of Heaven. 

The biography of St. Clare has been written by many 
authors, but the work which we have translated is the 


Translator s Preface . 5 

Life written in Italian by Father Lawrence Tardy, of the 
Order of St. Augustine. This work was first published 
in the early part of the present century, but Dr. Marti- 
nelli, O.S.A., the last postulator of the cause of St. Clare, 
and the one who had the happiness to see her cause suc- 
cessfully terminated, issued a new edition of it, enriched 
with all the recent developments of the case, at the time 
of her canonization. It is on this last edition that our 
version is made. We have, however, made frequent use 
of the German version printed in Duderstadt in 1866, 
which contains many useful points not found in the 
Italian. The notes are all taken from the German edi- 
tion. We have only to say, what the author himself says 
in his preface, that we do not wish in anything contained 
in this Life to anticipate the judgment of the Holy See, 
and do not attach to the wonderful events recorded here 
any more weight than the extrinsic arguments warrant. 
This book has been already translated into several of 
the European languages, and it is the earnest wish of the 
Rev. Postulator that it should be likewise presented to 
the English-speaking faithful. We have endeavored to 
fulfil that wish, and in so doing have acted the part 
merely of a faithful translator, sincerely hoping that our 
labor may redound to the honor of God, the glory of St. 
Clare, and the good of souls. 

Villanova College, 

Feast of St. Monica, 1884. 



AUTHOR’S PREFACE. 


The Religious Order founded by that Light of Doc- 
tors, the great Augustine, towards the end of the fourth 
century, spread so rapidly, even during the lifetime of 
its holy founder, and became so famed for its sanctity 
and learning, that it soon not only peopled the solitudes 
of Africa and the entire West, especially after the dis- 
persion caused by the persecution of the Vandals, but 
likewise supplied both priests and bishops to many 
churches. Augustine himself professed and practised 
the rule of his institute together with his friends and the 
companions of his travels, adventures, and conversion, 
first at Tagaste when a simple layman, and afterwards at 
Hippo when he was ordained priest and wished to unite 
to the duties of his august ministry the silence and aus- 
terity of the religious life in his suburban retreat. Not 
even when raised to the sublime dignity of the episco- 
pate was he willing to abandon the calm and spiritual 
delights of this holy state. At first the Religious Insti- 
tute of Augustine had no other centre of unity than the 
Rule of its holy founder, but it flourished nevertheless for 
upwards of eight centuries in the shadow of the woods 
and groves, far from the haunts of men and the turmoil of 
the world. These centuries, buried as they are in the 
darkness consequent upon the numerous irruptions of 
the swarming barbaric hordes into the fairest provinces 
of Europe, and the breaking up of the ancient civiliza- 
tion, have left no record to posterity of the many sainted 
Augustinian anchorites whose conversation was with 
God. In the thirteenth century, however, on the ap- 
pearance of so many new Religious Orders, the Institute 
of Augustine, moved by a holy emulation, and at the 


8 


Author s Preface . 


suggestion of the ecclesiastical authorities, commenced 
to unite the active to the contemplative life. In this way 
it soon became known to the people and could no longer 
hide the light of its modest virtues. It was in the year 
1256 that the various congregations of hermits who fol- 
lowed the Rule of St. Augustine were united by Pope 
Alexander IV. and placed under one head, and in the 
first century of its existence the new Order gave to the 
ecclesiastical hierarchy more than a hundred prelates 
of every rank, and many doctors who filled the literary 
world with the fame of their works. But what is more, 
the same Order gave in the same short time hundreds of 
holy souls to Heaven, some of whom have been beatified 
and even canonized by the Church herself, whilst others 
have had their reputation for sanctity confirmed by the 
popular sentiment and by reliable historical writers. 
Amongst these brilliant luminaries of sanctity there were 
two that shone forth more resplendently than the rest, 
at the same time and within a short distance from each 
other — the great wonder-worker St. Nicholas of Tolen- 
tine and St. Clare of Montefalco. It is the luminous 
deeds and unfading glory of this latter that I intend to 
put on record in the following pages. 

Those who are more learned than I may employ their 
pens in the treatment of more learned subjects: I do not 
envy them, but shall be abundantly content if I succeed 
in serving the piety of the faithful and exciting in their 
hearts a lively devotion towards our Saint. And indeed 
the lives of the Saints form one of the noblest and most 
interesting subjects that the pen of the Christian writer 
can be employed on. In truth, what nobler spectacle can 
the Christian soul contemplate than the trophies won 
by weak flesh over the enemies of God, and the glorious 
monuments of sanctity transmitted to the memory of 
ages whilst they are chanted in eternal hymns by the 
citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem ? Here it is not the 
historian’s province to offer the incense of flattery to the 


Author s Preface . 


9 


so-called heroes of the world, who have signalized them- 
selves by usurpations, by the devastations of kingdoms 
and provinces, by the desolations of vanquished peoples, 
and by floods of human blood. Here he has rather to 
record victories the most glorious won over the infernal 
enemy and over the tyranny of human passions; he has 
to tell of a fortitude which is superior to all worldly at- 
tractions, to all earthly adversities, and which leads to 
the unfading crown of heavenly bliss. In fine, in writing 
the lives of the Saints the biographer does not need to 
prostitute his talents by lavishing praise on vice, but can 
reserve his eulogiums untainted for virtue alone. In this 
his object is not to augment the glory of the blessed, who, 
immersed in the ocean of eternal joys, have no need of 
our encomiums, but to excite men to the imitation of 
their virtues and to the chaste desire of fellowship with 
them in their happy lot. And what more efficacious 
means is there to excite a virtuous emulation in the 
hearts of men, who by their nature are so prone to imi- 
tate, than to lay before them the example of men like 
themselves, who were clothed with the same sinful flesh, 
were subject to like temptations, like dangers, and who 
nevertheless triumphed over all ? Is it not true that in 
reading the life, of a saint we find stirred up in our heart 
a strong enticement towards virtue itself simultaneously 
with a love and veneration for the hero who practised it ? 
Holy Father Augustine, not to speak of many others, felt 
this impulse of which I speak whilst he listened to his 
friend Pontianus narrating to him the life of St. Antony. 
Therefore, as the Holy Ghost Himself tells us, “ let us 
praise men of renown and our fathers in their genera- 
tion/’ I, for my part, heartily rejoice in being able to 
consecrate my pen to the glorification of St. Clare. May 
God grant that this tribute of my devotion be pleasing 
in the sight of Heaven, at least through the merit of the 
intention! 

I shall have very little trouble in writing the life of our 


io Author's Preface . 

Saint, because there are no historical or chronological 
difficulties to be met with and settled. This happy cir- 
cumstance is due to the fact that the life of our heroine 
was written by learned and contemporary authors, and 
its leading facts authenticated by the documents which 
were compiled for the cause of her canonization shortly 
after her death. Within ten months from that event an 
investigation into her life and miracles was ordered by 
the Bishop of Spoleto, and carried out by his vicar-gen- 
eral Berengarius Donadei. This latter wrote her life in 
the following year, and his work is still preserved in the 
convent of the Saint. Another investigation took place 
in 1318, the records of which are likewise preserved. It 
was precisely from these records that Cardinal Napoleon 
Orsini extracted a summary of her life in 1320. After 
mentioning these documents there is no need of enu- 
merating here the different authors that have written 
the life of our Saint at various times. If any one feels 
a curiosity to know them, we refer him to Torelli, the 
author of the Augustinian Annals, or to Piergigli, who, in 
his beautiful introduction to the life of our Saint which 
he wrote in 1640, was able to enumerate even at that 
early date sixty-three authors who had either written her 
life or at least made mention of her merits. This writer 
is precisely the one that we shall follow as our chief 
guide, not, however, to the exclusion of others. Our 
reasons for this are that he was a native of Bevagna, 
near Montefalco, and lived for a long time in Montefalco 
itself in quality of episcopal vicar, and likewise as con- 
fessor to the nuns in the Saint’s own convent. He con- 
sequently had ample opportunity of examining the docu- 
ments which were extant in his time in that monastery, 
just as he afterwards had an equally good opportunity 
of examining the documents in the Angelica Library at 
Rome. For these reasons the Bollandists themselves 
were very anxious to follow him, for they make mention 
of him as being preferable to other authors. However, 


Author's Preface . 1 1 

not being well acquainted with the Italian language, they 
were obliged to content themselves with copying the 
compendium of Musconi, an author fully as reliable and 
as well-informed as Piergigli himself. Musconi had in 
his favor, in addition to his love of truth and his erudi- 
tion, the fact that he was born at Trevi, near Montefalco, 
and likewise that he had examined in his capacity of 
lawyer and vicar-general all the authentic writings on 
the life and miracles of the Saint — writings which he 
afterwards quoted in his introduction to her life. These 
are the guides that I shall follow, occasionally, however, 
having recourse to others; and I trust that on this point 
there will be nothing to be said against me. 

As to my style of writing, some may be of the opinion 
that I have indulged too much in amplification. To 
these I would reply that I am not conscious of having 
followed my imagination alone in anything that I have 
said, but have only drawn either the necessary or very 
probable consequences from well-authenticated facts. 
Others may find my style lacking in simplicity and 
savoring too much of the style of a panegyric; but in 
these matters tastes differ, and my opinion is that no 
eulogium is too great or too grand for the merits and 
sanctity of St. Clare. 

It is fitting that I should here make declaration, in 
accordance with the decrees of Pope Urban VIII., that 
I do not intend that the reader should place greater faith 
in the supernatural events recorded here, and which have 
not been confirmed by the authority of the Holy See, 
than the testimony in each case calls for. The facts which 
I have related, however, are drawn from the authentic 
records of the process for Clare’s canonization. Nothing 
more remains for me to say except to beg our heroine to 
obtain for me from God purity of intention in this and all 
my works, and the grace not to defraud her of her glory 
or disappoint the pious expectations of her devout ad- 
mirers. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Translator’s Preface 3 

Author’s Preface 7 

CHAPTER 

I. — Time of St. Clare’s Birth 15 

II. — Childhood of St. Clare. 21 

III. — Entrance of St. Clare into the Hermitage of her Sister, 

the Blessed Johanna 25 

IV. — Early Life of St. Clare in the Hermitage 28 

V. — Foundation of a new Hermitage; its Difficulties and 

Wants 36 

VI. — St. Clare is appointed to collect Alms for the Hermi- 
tage 40 

VII. — St. Clare is tried by Temptations 45 

VIII. — The Hermitage is erected into a Convent under the 
Rule of St. Augustine. Blessed Johanna is chosen 

Abbess, and dies soon afterwards 48 

IX. — St. Clare is elected Abbess 56 

X. — Brief Review of St. Clare’s Conduct in the Govern- 
ment of her Convent 60 

XI. — Progress of St. Clare in Virtue generally, but espe- 
cially in the Theological Virtues 65 

XII. — St. Clare’s Love of her Neighbor 75 

XIII. — St. Clare’s Love of her Enemies 85 

XIV. — The Cardinal Virtues of St. Clare 91 

XV. — The Life of Penance led by St. Clare 96 

XVI. — The Zeal of St. Clare in the Observance of her Mo- 
nastic Vows 100 

XVII. — Humility of St. Clare 107 

XVIII. — St. Clare’s Reputation for Sanctity hi 

XIX. — St. Clare recovers her Interior Peace 114 

XX. — St. Clare receives the Impression of the Mysteries 
and Instruments of the Passion, and of the Symbol 
of the Most Holy Trinity. She afterwards builds a 
Convent Church 117 


14 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XXI. — The Infused Knowledge of St. Clare, and the Use 

which she made of it for the Salvation of Souls. . . . 121 

XXII. — St. Clare disputes with Heretics and refutes them 126 

XXIII. — St. Clare’s Spirit of Prophecy 133 

XXIV. — Visions and Ecstasies of St. Clare 140 

XXV. — Miracles worked by St. Clare 148 

XXVI. — Last Illness and Death of St. Clare 152 

XXVII. — On the Glory with which God honored St. Clare after 

Death 161 


XXVIII. — Discovery of the Emblems of the Holy Mysteries of 
the Passion of Jesus in the Heart of St. Clare, and 

of the Symbol of the Holy Trinity in her Gall 164 

XXIX. — Wonderful Preservation of St. Clare’s Body and 
Blood, of her Heart and the Emblems. Ebullition 


of her Blood as a Presage of great Calamities 175 

XXX. — Miracles worked by St. Clare after her Death. The 

Process for her Canonization 180 

XXXI. — Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare; its Vicissitudes 

and happy Termination 188 

XXXII. — Miracles approved for the Canonization of Clare 197 

Conclusion 209 

Appendix: Decrees of her Canonization; — 1. Decree concerning 

her Virtues; — 2. Decree concerning her Miracles. . 212 
The Heart of St. Clare of Montefalco, a Poem 219 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


CHAPTER I. 

Time of St. Clare’s Birth. 

HASTY glance at the time in which St. Clare 
was born suffices to bring before the mind a 
period of endless wars and of the most direful 
calamities. Eighteen years before the birth 
of the Saint (a.d. 1250), Frederic II. had died, a monarch 
who had rendered himself famous by the devastation of so 
many cities and towns; by his oppression of the people and 
his treachery; by his persecution of the Pope, of bishops, 
and of many churches; and finally by the seeds of long- 
continued discord which he had sown in Italy. Three 
years before the birth of the Saint, Frederic’s illegiti- 
mate son Manfred, the usurping monarch of the two 
Sicilies, had lost his throne and life in the bloody battle 
of Beneventum, and was succeeded by his rival, Charles 
of Anjou. But not on this account did the woes of Italy 
come to an end. With the exception of the two Sicilies 
this unfortunate country found itself, not merely divided 
up into as many kingdoms or republics as it contained 
cities, but, worse still, torn asunder by the most bitterly 
hostile factions. The imperial throne was vacant for a 
time; but during the interregnum the Ghibelline party 
fomented feuds. Nor were their opponents, the Guelph 
party, less at fault; for they, too, sought for a share in 
the spoils and conquests, under the specious pretext of 
adhesion to the Pope and the Church. For a long period 
the name of peace was scarcely known in these fair 
countries. City was arrayed against city, and oftentimes 



1 6 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 


within the same walls the citizens of different classes, as 
the people and the nobility, were arrayed against each 
other. Sedition, treason, exile, confiscation, private re- 
venge, extortion, murder, and general ruin: — such was 
the lamentable burden under which Italian society 
groaned. Peace and security had fled even from Rome, 
although at that time most worthy Pontiffs occupied the 
chair of St. Peter. These latter found themselves obliged 
to change their residence continually, being at one time 
in Viterbo, at another in Orvieto, again in Perugia. It 
was only at the time of St. Clare’s birth that peace began 
to appear in Italy. At that time the formidable army of 
the Ghibellines which fought under the standard of 
Conradin, the grandson of the above-mentioned Frederic, 
was defeated at Tagliacozzo, near Aquila. Conradin 
had set out from Germany in order to contest the throne 
with Charles of Anjou, but lost his life at Naples. With 
him disappeared the Suabian dynasty, so hateful to the 
Guelph party and still more detested by the ambitious 
and vindictive Charles of Anjou, brother by blood of St. 
Louis, King of France, but thoroughly unlike him in his 
habits. In that century ambition, avarice, and licentious- 
ness held sway throughout Italy. In addition, the Greek 
schism was renewed by Michael Paleologus, and the 
holy places of the East again brought under the sacri- 
legious and tyrannical sway of the infidels. For the still 
greater misfortune of holy Church the Manicheans again 
appeared, a sect which, in addition to its ancient errors, 
committed the most shameful enormities; the Beguins 
too, who, under the coarse mantle of hypocrisy, concealed 
alike false doctrines and infamous practices. 

But not on this account must it be imagined that the 
gates of hell prevailed. At this time as well as at others 
the words of the Apostle proved true: “Where sin hath 
abounded, there also hath grace abounded.” It was pre- 
cisely at this time that God, by a singular dispensation 
of His mercy, raised up the most illustrious champions 


i7 


Time of St. Clares Birth . 

origin of the spiritual warfare in order to stem the tor- 
rent of vice. It was then, too, that the holy auxiliary 
troops of the Church appeared for the first time in Italy 
to fight under the standard of Jesus Christ — that is to 
say, the Religious Orders: the Franciscans, Dominicans 
Servites, or Servants of Mary, the Sylvestrines, and Celes- 
tines. It was then that the ancient Order of the Carmelites 
was extended, the two Orders for the Redemption of Cap- 
tives were founded, one in Spain and the other in France, 
both of which soon spread themselves to Italy; still 
further, the Order of the Hermits of St. Paul was founded, 
and the general reunion of the Hermits of St. Augustine 
took place. A short time previous to the death of our 
Saint many great and illustrious servants of God flour- 
ished in the Church. Amongst others may be mentioned 
St. William of Denmark,* St. Felix of Valois, St. John 
of Matha, St. Albert Martyr, St. Francis and St. Dominic, 
founders of the two great religious Orders which bear 
their names, the seven Franciscan martyrs, St. Engel- 
bert Martyr, St. Antony of Padua, St. Elizabeth, Queen 
of Hungary, St. Hedwige, Queen of Poland, St. Peter 
Martyr, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Peter Nolasco, St. Hya- 
cinth, St. Sylvester Abbot. But contemporaneously 
with our Saint there flourished outside of Italy St. Ray- 
mond of Pennafort, St. Louis, King of France, St. Louis, 
Bishop of Toulouse, St. Ivo, St. Elizabeth, Queen of 
Portugal. Even within the bosom of Italy itself, all 
disturbed and corrupted as it was, God raised up a still 
greater number of holy souls for the support and orna- 
ment of His Church. Such were, for example, St. 


* St. William was born in Paris in the year 1105, joined the Canons 
Regular of St. Augustine, and was afterwards sent to Denmark to 
take charge of a convent there. He contributed much by his zeal 
towards furthering the interests of the faith throughout Denmark, 
and died, after suffering many persecutions and much sickness, at the 
advanced age of 91 years. Many miracles were wrought through his 
intercession both before and after his death. 


1 8 Life of St . Clare of Montefalco . 

Thomas of Aquin and St. Bonaventure, the two great 
Doctors of the Church; St. Philip Benitius,* an ardent 
propagator of the faith and of the Order of the Servants 
of Mary; St. Peter Celestine, who preferred the lowli- 
ness of a hidden life to all the splendor of the papal 
throne; St. Nicholas of Tolentine, that angel in the 
flesh, martyr of penance, worker of so many and such 
great miracles, and glory of the Augustinian Order; St. 
Margaret of Cortona, so famous for her austere, peni- 
tential life; and those great servants of God, St. Agnes 
of Monte Pulciano, St. Juliana of Falconeri, and St. 
Angela of Foligno. And here it is well to remark that 
these great saints whom we have mentioned, with 
very few exceptions, belonged to the Religious Orders 
which were lately founded. It would be no easy task, 
indeed, to extract from the annals of these Orders the 
record of the innumerable servants of God who flourished 
in them in that century, and whom the voice of the peo- 
ple or the authority of the Holy See has declared blessed. 
The Order of the Hermits of St. Augustine alone counts 
more than a hundred such in this century; how great 
would be their number, then, if we counted those of all 
the Orders combined, especially those of the wide-spread 
Franciscan and Dominican Orders! 

Such were the Orders and such the saints that God’s 
mercy opposed to the disorders of the times, and that 
sustained the Church, menaced as she was by such dread- 
ful dangers. Nor must we forget to mention as contribut- 
ing greatly to the checking of disorder the striking, 
numerous, austere, and fervent processions of the Confra- 
ternities which took place in that century, and date their 


* St. Philip Benitius was General of the Order of Servites, and con. 
tributed much by his zeal and prudence towards the spreading of that 
Order. Reliable authorities state that the number of members of this 
young Order in Italy, France, and Germany reached, during his ad- 
ministration, to 10,000. He died August 22d, 1285. 


Time of St. Clares Birth. 


l 9 


from a time shortly prior to the birth of St. Clare. These 
produced, at least for some time, the richest fruits in the 
shape of sacraments frequented, reconciliations brought 
about, exiles recalled to their native country, property 
restored to rightful owners, and arms laid aside. But 
not even here was God’s providence in favor of His 
Church content to stop; for He entrusted her guidance 
at that period to Popes eminent for their wisdom and 
sanctity. In this class Clement IV. is especially worthy 
to be reckoned, a Pontiff of lofty holiness and profound 
learning. From Viterbo, where he was forced to re- 
side through the inconstancy and disloyalty of the Ro- 
mans, he governed the Church as wisely as the difficult 
circumstances of the time permitted. He died there 
towards the end of November, a.d. 1268, a time when 
the imperial throne was still vacant. It was in this very 
year that St. Clare first saw the light. 

In the duchy of Spoleto,* and diocese of the same name, 


* History, especially that of the Middle Ages, speaks much of the 
riches and revolutions of the duchy of Spoleto. In the sixth century 
it was under the dominion of the Lombards, was afterwards ruled by 
its own dukes, till finally, after many vicissitudes, it fell into the hands 
of the Popes. Among its towns and cities are reckoned Nocera, As- 
sisi, Bevagna, Foligno, Trevi, Terni, Rieti, Norcia, Leonissa, and 
Spoleto, the capital of the province, and formerly only an episcopal 
see, but made an archbishopric in 1821. Its products are abundant 
and various, but it is especially rich in olives and wine. It is abun- 
dantly watered by seven small streams that flow into the Tiber. But 
this duchy is still more remarkable in the history of the Church for 
the many holy places it contains, and for the many illustrious ser- 
vants of God who led there a penitent and holy life. Subasio, Serra 
Santa, and Monte-Luco remind us of the austere penitents that inha- 
bited these solitudes. Assisi, with Portiuncula near by, brings to 
our mind the great St. Francis, and a host of saints belonging to the 
Order which he founded, who dwelt there. Norcia points with pride 
to St. Benedict, the Patriarch of the monks of the West, as also to his 
sister St. Scholastica, equally famed with St. Clare of Assisi. Both 
can with truth be called the spiritual mothers of innumerable holy 
virgins. The other towns mentioned above, and even the country 


20 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

near to Bevagna, Foligno, and Terni, lies, in a southerly 
direction, on the brow of a pleasant hill, surrounded 
both east and west by a delightful valley, the little town 
of Montefalco. The place with its strong walls can be 
seen for a great distance. It had been built anew from 
the ruins of the neighboring Coccorano, which Frederic 
II., the ravager of Italy, had destroyed. There lived here, 
at the period above described, a happy couple, joined 
together in the holy unity of Christian wedlock. The 
man’s name was Damian, and his wife was called Giaco- 
ma. Both belonged to highly respectable families, and 
were neither very rich nor very poor, but lived contented 
with that moderate sufficiency which Solomon praises, 
and which neither foments pride through superfluity nor 
dishonesty through want. Their nobility and their riches 
consisted in the holy fear of God, in the faithful fulfil- 
ment of the duties of their state, in the pious bringing 
up of their children — in a word, in the acquisition of the 


places, have likewise their saints. Thus, to mention merely a few of 
the Order of St. Augustine, Spoleto has the Blessed Christina, who 
died in 1458, and whose feast is celebrated in the Augustinian Order 
on the 14th February; Rieti honors on the 2d August Blessed John, 
who died in 1347; Foligno has the Blessed Juliana, who flew to her 
heavenly Bridegroom in the year 1300, adorned with the double crown 
of sanctity and virginity ; likewise Blessed Angelus, who, famed for 
miracles both before and after death, departed this life a.d. 1296. But 
to come back to Montefalco, it may be remarked, without entering 
upon a long description, that it contains a cathedral church, two 
parishes within the walls and two without. It has, moreover, several 
convents: one of the Augustinians, one of the Conventuals, one of 
the Observants, one of the Capuchins, and a house of the Oratorians; 
likewise two convents for women, one of the Augustinian nuns, and 
the other of the Franciscan nuns of St. Leonard. In addition to all 
this it has the glory of possessing the bodies of many saints, as St. 
Fortunatus, St. Severus, the Blessed Johanna, sister of St. Clare, 
the Blessed Clarella and Illuminata, pupils of St. Clare (both died 
about 1310), and Blessed John and Francis of the Franciscan Order. 
But amongst all these the body of St. Clare is most remarkable for 
its extraordinary state of preservation and life-like freshness. 


Childhood of St. Clare. 


21 


unfading treasures of heaven. For this reason the Lord 
wished to bless them in a singular manner even here on 
earth. The fruits of the Divine blessing were that of 
them were born two holy children, namely, Blessed Jo- 
hanna, of whom we shall have occasion to speak here- 
after, and St. Clare, who was born, as we said before, in 
the year 1268, in the pontificate of Clement IV. The 
precise day or month when she was born is not known, 
probably because at that time more attention was paid 
to collecting memorials of piety than to recording dates. 
But, as it avails nothing to be born to the world and then 
die in sin, these pious parents were most solicitous in 
presenting on the earliest occasion their child at the sav- 
ing font of Baptism, in order that, being cleansed by its 
regenerating waters from the stain of original sin, she 
might become a fit subject for heaven. So it happened; 
for here we may place the commencement of that inno- 
cence which she never sullied, and of her sanctity, as will 
be seen in the course of her life. 


CHAPTER II. 

Childhood of St. Clare. 



APTISM, it is true, cancels original sin itself, 
but the penalties which flow from that sin 
accompany us to the grave; and hence it is 
that even from our birth the development of 
inordinate passions is noticeable in us. Even while still 
in swaddling-clothes we can notice in children the signs 
of impatience and reluctance, which manifest themselves 
in tears, cries, contortions, and impotent threats. We 
can notice in them a certain envy and jealousy of the 
maternal caresses. Scarcely have they made their first 
weak attempt at walking, when the spirit of liberty and 
independence shows itself by their disdaining the mater- 



22 


Life of St. Clare of Mont ef ale o. 

nal correction. Scarcely do they begin to prattle when 
they mingle dissimulation and lies with their broken 
words. The sense of taste, too, at first content with the 
mother’s milk, is no longer satisfied even with dainties, 
but causes the tiny hand to be stretched out to commit 
little thefts; so that we may say with truth that the pas- 
sions increase in proportion as the body gains strength. 
But our Clare seemed in some manner privileged and 
exempt from these childish weaknesses, inasmuch as she 
had received from God a good soul, or rather disposition, 
and had been in a special manner prevented by the bless- 
ings of grace. Scarcely did she open her lips to speak 
when she learned the chief prayers of the Christian, as 
well as the first elements of our holy faith, which her 
good mother was careful to teach her, and which sank 
like the dew of heaven into the tender heart of the holy 
child. She also learned early to reverence the crucifix and 
the images of the saints. It was really touching to see 
her with joined hands, eyes uplifted towards heaven, 
and on bended knees, at her mother’s feet, or elsewhere 
alone, adoring and invoking her Creator ere yet, by rea- 
son of her tender age, she seemed capable of knowing 
Him. 

But a certain circumstance showed, a little later on, in 
a still clearer and more wonderful manner the high 
destiny to which the heavenly Spouse of souls called her 
almost with impatience. As she found herself one day 
in her mother’s arms, in passing before the church of 
St. John the Baptist, she perceived coming thence an 
odor of wonderful sweetness which drew her thither 
with an irresistible attraction. And behold ! the child 
bounds from its mother’s bosom and runs towards the 
church after the odor of the ointments of her divine 
Spouse, where having arrived, she found herself wonder- 
fully refreshed by these emanations of Paradise. Who 
can fitly describe or thoroughly penetrate these singular 
favors, these anticipated heavenly illuminations, these 


23 


Childhood of St. Clare. 

first tender affections, these caresses and sweet preludes 
of divine love ! We only know that she found herself 
drawn to such a degree by those sweetnesses that she 
could no longer remain away from that place where she 
had received the first fruits of grace. She went there 
often, and spent there, hidden in some corner, the time 
which was not interfered with by her duties towards her 
parents. On such occasions she found intense joy in 
the company of her beloved Jesus,. and He, to reward 
her, made known to her in a vision the chief events of 
the life to which He called her. It was exactly at this 
church of St. John the Baptist that the Blessed Angelo 
of Foligno, of the Order of St. Augustine, founded some 
years later, when Clare was about seventeen years old, 
the present convent of his Order; and this spot the Saint 
held in special favor during her lifetime, on account of 
the spiritual blessings there bestowed on her. 

With such extraordinary beginnings it is not to be 
wondered at that Clare soon after, although still a child 
of from four to six years, applied herself assiduously to 
the practice of prayer, so that she sometimes spent entire 
hours in this holy exercise. Nay, at times she prolonged 
her devotions even to three or four hours, selecting 
for this purpose, as far as possible, the higher and less 
frequented parts of the house. There, in imitation of 
her divine Redeemer, she prayed on bended knees and 
with the deepest recollection, and in this manner laid 
the foundation of her future sanctity. But, what is still 
more remarkable, she loved even then to mortify her in- 
nocent and tender flesh with scourges which she had 
woven together from little cords, as well as with pro- 
longed vigils and frequent abstinence. When but five 
years old, she was often heard to cry aloud, as she 
passed along in the open air, “Mercy, O Lord, mercy!” 
as though she were the greatest of sinners, at the same 
time beating her breast and piercing it with prickly 
chestnut-burs: so strong even then was her horror of 


24 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

sin, and so intense her desire to follow Jesus along the 
path of suffering! 

But one of her principal enjoyments was to listen to 
conversations about God and His saints; and in conse- 
quence, instead of wasting her time in the frivolous 
games so common to children of her age, she was wont 
to visit, either alone or accompanied by her maid, the 
different hermitages in the neighborhood in which cer- 
tain pious women dwelt, leading a life of penance. 
These hermitages were little houses wherein these pious 
souls lived, apart from their family and the distractions 
of the world, without professing any particular rule or 
wearing any distinctive dress. For their guide to per- 
fection they had the Gospel, the example of Jesus Christ, 
and obedience to their bishop, their confessor, and their 
superior. These hermitages became afterwards, as it 
were, the nurseries of many convents. At the time of 
St. Clare there were four of these at Montefalco, one of 
which was called the Damian Hermitage, because it 
had been built by the father of our Saint to satisfy the 
longing of his eldest daughter, Johanna, who wished to 
retire from the world and consecrate herself entirely to 
God. It was situated directly opposite the Hospital of 
St. Leonard, and was built in 1273. These hermitages, 
then, but especially that of her sister, St. Clare loved to 
visit. From these holy places there seemed to her to 
proceed sweet attractive odors, like unto that which had 
previously attracted her to the church of St. John the 
Baptist. And whilst these holy virgin recluses spoke to 
her of heavenly things, the Lord spoke to her heart with 
such sweetness and efficacy that she oftentimes appeared 
as if in ecstasy. Already the Saviour spoke to her these 
words: “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God 
and keep it.” Such was this child of from five to seven 
years; such was St. Clare at this tender age ! 


St. Clare Enters the Hermitage of her Sister. 25 


CHAPTER III. 

Entrance of St. Clare into the Hermitage of her Sister, the 
Blessed Johanna. 

LARE had scarcely reached the age of six 
years when she already perceived with dread 
the dangers of the world, and so resolved to 
quit it. Although she was blest with a 
natural disposition which wholly disinclined her to in- 
dulge in worldly vanities; although she was subject to 
none of those failings so common amongst children; 
although she showed, even from her infancy, that her 
mind was of a grave and steady character, and mani- 
fested, too, a piety far beyond her years; although, in 
fine, she saw in her father’s house nothing but examples 
of virtue, nevertheless she did not deem herself safe 
enough, but felt herself impelled by these very reasons 
to retire from the world. The very grace of God 
which guided her in the world led her likewise to soli- 
tude. And what place more suitable for her to retire to 
than the arms of her sister Johanna, who was already 
treading the thorny path of sanctity ? Where could she 
find a more fitting asylum for her innocence than in that 
cloister which was still in all the fervor of its recent 
foundation ? There remained, however, one difficulty to 
be overcome, a difficulty to which nature is keenly sen- 
sitive — that, namely, of bidding farewell to her loving 
and affectionate parents. But the love of God, which 
already ruled in her heart before the age when reason 
usually dawns, rendered easy for her this victory over 
herself, her affections, and every human consideration. 
Filled with generous thoughts, she betook herself to her 
sister Johanna, to disclose to her her interior and expose 
her ardent' desires. And oh! how the holy child must 



26 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

have pleaded with all the eloquence of her own simple, 
touching language to be admitted into this long-desired 
haven of rest! Whether Johanna considered her little 
sister too young to undergo the austerities of the hermi- 
tage, or wished to test her vocation, we cannot tell. 
The fact is, however, she refused her admission. But 
Clare lost not on this account her confidence in God, 
but renewed her request from time to time amidst 
prayers and tears, promising to fill all requirements with 
God’s help. Her sister finally relented, and promised to 
admit her into her hermitage after a time; that is, after 
having recommended herself to God with greater 
earnestness, and so become assured of the divine will. 
But the devil, who is the eternal enemy of pious resolu- 
tions, and resists with an infernal envy every effort to 
acquire sanctity, sought by every artifice to hinder the 
execution of Clare’s designs. At first he sought to turn 
her away from her holy resolution by suggesting to her 
mind plausible reasons against it, assuming at one time 
the appearance of her sister, at another that of some 
companion, but always concealing his malicious sugges- 
tions under the garb of love and pity. Finding that this 
did not succeed, he assumed the appearance of an old, 
deformed woman, and presented himself before her on 
the road which led to her sister’s hermitage, and 
threatened to take away her life if she did not change 
her resolution. In order to frighten her more effectually, 
he added that he had been previously instrumental in 
the death of her little sister, Theodoruccia. This latter 
had died, while yet an infant, before Clare was born. 
The rarer and more extraordinary such apparitions of 
the evil spirit are in the lives of ordinary persons, so 
much the more frequent are they in the lives of the 
saints. For their exalted virtue awakens in him the 
deepest feelings of envy; and, besides, God frequently 
permits such things to happen to His beloved ones to in- 
crease their merit and their glory. But what can the 


St. Clare Enters the Hermitage of her Sister . 27 

powers of darkness ever effect against God and His 
saints ? Clare, though young and inexperienced, as- 
sisted by the light of Heaven, discovered and eluded all 
the snares of the evil one; and, by invoking the name of 
God and making the sign of the cross, she became deaf 
to all his enticements and threats. She thus proved that 
her love for God made her stronger than all the powers 
of death and hell. 

When these diabolical efforts had been overcome, and 
the holy child persisted in importuning her sister to re- 
ceive her into her hermitage, there came to Montefalco, 
by an interposition of divine providence, Thomas Angeli, 
who at that time (the pontificate of Gregory X.) ruled 
as bishop the extensive diocese of Spoleto. Blessed 
Johanna presented herself before him, with Andriola, 
the companion of her retirement, and Clare, her sister, 
entreating him to give his blessing to their new founda- 
tion, and allow Clare to be received therein. It is 
probable that he had heard beforehand of Clare’s ex- 
traordinary virtue, which, in a child of such tender years, 
had awakened the admiration of all who knew her; 
nevertheless he determined to test her vocation still 
further. But when he saw the humility and modesty of 
her demeanor, and noticed the simplicity and upright- 
ness of her answers, he recognized the assistance of the 
Holy Ghost, received her with kindness, consoled her, 
and finally granted her request. He then accompanied 
all three to the hermitage, assured them of his fatherly 
solicitude, and appointed Blessed Johanna Superioress of 
the house. They were all overjoyed; but for Clare this 
was, so to speak, the day of her nuptials, a day of the 
greatest happiness. Great indeed must be the joy of 
him who, having suffered shipwreck and reached the 
shore, contemplates therefrom the awful perils of the 
deep which he has just escaped: but it is not socgreat as 
was the joy of Clare when she stood upon the threshold 
of her new retreat and bade farewell to the world. The 


28 


Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

eyes of the worldly-minded would have seen in that 
humble place into which she entered naught but gloom, 
poverty, and austerity; but in the eyes of Clare, en- 
lightened by a lively faith, it was a haven of rest, a place 
of supernatural delights, that enclosed garden of the 
Canticle, where the mystic King of Peace deigns to im- 
part His fondest caresses to the soul that has chosen 
Him for her bridegroom. We know not, it is true, the 
language in which Clare expressed her thanks to that 
God who holds in His hands the hearts of men and dis- 
poses of all things for the best. We do know, however, 
that her joy and gratitude were such that for an entire 
week she was almost wholly forgetful of food, content- 
ing herself with a small piece of bread and an apple. 
But let us here leave her alone with God, pouring forth 
to Him those lively sentiments of gratitude in her own 
childish and imperfect language. 


CHAPTER IV. 



Early Life of St. Clare in the Hermitage. 

T IS by a special gift of His predilection and 
goodness that God calls one from the dis- 
tractions and temptations of the world into 
solitude to speak there to his heart. Clare 
knew this from her earliest years; and we have seen in 
the preceding chapter the gratitude she manifested to- 
wards God for having made her the object of so special 
a grace. Let us now prepare ourselves to witness the 
still greater thankfulness she exhibited when she found 
she had attained the object of her most ardent wishes, 
her fondest aspirations. Here, all at once, she offered 
herself up in sacrifice to the Most High, by seven diffi- 
cult resolutions, which she formed of her own accord. 
The first of these was to keep her mind always fixed on 


Early Life of St. Clare in the Hermitage. 29 

God; the second, never to look a man in the face; the 
third, to obey her superior rigorously and in all things; 
the fourth, to observe with exactness the silence com- 
manded by her rule; the fifth, to avoid even the slightest 
imperfections; the sixth, to humble her body by mortifi- 
cation; the seventh, never to eat meat, or any food that 
might gratify her taste. So pleasing to God was this 
heroic sacrifice, accompanied as it was by an immediate 
and strict fulfilment, that He was pleased to give her a 
signal proof of His satisfaction. 

Clare was at this time in her seventh year. One day, 
as she was praying with more than ordinary fervor, there 
appeared to her a richly dressed lady, holding by the 
hand a child of heavenly beauty, which, to judge from 
external appearances, was about seven years of age. The 
lady was the Queen of Heaven, and the child was her 
divine Son Jesus. Clare felt herself moved by an inward 
feeling to approach more closely to the child in order to 
contemplate better His heavenly beauty. The child, 
however, anticipated her wish, and ran joyfully towards 
her, illuminating her intellect with a ray of His light, 
making her understand who He was and how ardently 
He longed to become the spouse of her soul, demanding 
in return simply her undivided love. Let those who are 
able consider here the sentiments of her soul, the affec- 
tions of her heart, in those happy moments during which 
she was the object of such favors. Let them meditate 
especially upon the joy which filled her soul when she 
celebrated her nuptials with the Lamb. Undoubtedly, 
feelings of the purest and tenderest love, mingled with 
the most profound humility, filled her soul. Hencefor- 
ward no creature could find a place in the affections of 
that soul which had consecrated itself entirely to Jesus; 
for, if she bestowed any love upon creatures, her love for 
them was always subordinate to that which she gave to 
God. On other occasions, too, she experienced a like 
happiness; that is to say, she saw her Beloved One, the 


30 


Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

Spouse of her soul, fondled Him, received and returned 
His infantile caresses. These apparitions were in truth 
naught but the inventions of God’s love to draw to Him- 
self more and more the heart of Clare. 

It is thus God acts with His saints, conducts them in 
various ways to perfection, entices them, strengthens 
them, especially in the beginning of their spiritual life. 
But Clare stands forth as specially privileged among the 
holy ones of God, as well by reason of the early period 
at which she received these favors as by their frequency. 
These were for her the strongest incentive to piety as well 
as to the exact fulfilment of her arduous resolutions. In 
point of fact, how closely soever her Superioress and her 
own companions watched her conduct, they could con- 
ceive no other feeling but admiration for her modesty, 
her obedience, her spirit of retirement, penance, and 
prayer. In proof of this we need only mention that so 
mindful was she of her compact with God with reference 
to guarding her eyes, that not only did she keep them 
cast down in presence of strange men, but she observed 
a like conduct towards her father and her brother. 
Silence, too, was more pleasing to her than talking is to 
most women, and there was no casein which she deemed 
herself exempt from its observance when it was pre- 
scribed by the Superioress. On one occasion Blessed Jo- 
hanna fell sick, and her mother visited her in order to 
pay her the necessary attendance. Clare helped her 
mother in the sick-room, and waited on her sister with 
love and respect; but always without speaking, if it was 
time of silence. And if on any occasion she was con- 
scious of having broken silence, she atoned for her invol- 
untary fault by rigid penance, as will be afterwards 
seen. 

What shall we say of her zeal in the holy exercise of 
prayer? If when still a child, as we have already ob- 
served, and before she had received those special favors 
of which we have made mention, she was so anxious to 


Early Life of St. Clare in the Hermitage. 31 

commune with God, we need hardly inquire what was 
her fervor and constancy afterwards in this holy exercise. 
With reference to this matter it is sufficient to make 
mention of the mode of prayer adopted by her whilst in 
the hermitage and followed out during her entire life. 
She was accustomed to adore the Divine Majesty with 
many genuflections, accompanied by just as many ejacu- 
lations, and she occupied herself especially with medita- 
tions on the passion of Jesus Christ. Her obedience, too, 
was something heroic. To show this we adduce the follow- 
ing instance: Blessed Johanna was wont to rise at mid- 
night in order to pray. She oftentimes invited Clare to 
join her, and assigned her a place in the oratory, telling 
her to remain there in prayer till she herself called her 
away. Now, it happened more than once that Blessed 
Johanna remained there for a long time, forgetful of her 
sister, being either absorbed in prayer or distracted by 
various matters; but Clare kept her place without mov- 
ing. When she was advised by her companions to leave, 
at least to take some food, she alleged her duty of obedi- 
ence. On one occasion when she could not be prevailed 
upon to leave, an egg was brought to her, which she ate at 
the place where she knelt; but of this she afterwards re- 
pented as though it were a great sin, and did penance 
for it. At another time Blessed Johanna received in 
charity a little meat, which she distributed among her 
religious. Clare, too, received her share, but afterwards 
threw it away secretly. She grew sorry for the deed 
later on, believing that it was contrary to the virtue of 
obedience. With reference to her clothing, she deemed 
linen too great a luxury after her entrance into the clois- 
ter, and in consequence contented herself with a coarse 
woollen dress and a cloak, which the religious at that 
time used when not engaged in their domestic occupa- 
tions; that is to say, in the church and at the grating. 

Clare was now twelve years of age, and so believed 
herself obliged to increase her penitential austerities in 


32 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

proportion as she advanced in bodily strength. In the 
cloister she went about in bare feet, clothed with a 
coarse woollen garment, oftentimes even in hair-cloth. 
At night, when her companions slept, she disciplined her 
tender body with a scourge made of hempen cords, and 
frequently unto blood. One day Sister Thomasia acci- 
dentally found this scourge. It was all covered with 
blood; and she, knowing it to be Clare’s, brought it to 
Johanna, the Superioress, that she might put a stop to 
such austerities. This, however, did not cause Clare to 
desist from her rigorous penance; for though the Supe- 
rioress had often advised Clare to be more moderate, 
yet she had given her no formal command to that effect. 
Her bed and place of repose even in sickness was a 
coarse sack; but she slept much oftener on the bare 
ground. Not content even with this rigor, she often 
slept in a sitting posture, with her head against the wall 
or else resting on a piece of wood in the shape of a 
cross, which she kept in her cell. Her food was barley 
or rye bread, which she often strewed with ashes, and 
soup made tasteless by being mixed with water. It was 
only on extraordinary occasions that she allowed herself 
the use of a little wine. On occasion of an attack of 
sickness she felt a great longing for some cheese. Her 
brother Francis brought her some mouldy bread instead 
of cheese. Clare ate it with the greatest submission, 
and experienced exactly the taste of cheese. God wished 
by this miracle to show how well pleased He was with 
her forgetfulness of self, and granted her the additional 
favor of being ever afterwards indifferent to the quality 
of her food. 

Notwithstanding all this, we must not imagine that 
the saints are exempt from every failing. Clare, too, 
was a daughter of Adam; but her horror of sin was such 
that for the smallest faults, even involuntary violations 
of rule, she did the most rigorous penance. Thus on one 
occasion she transgressed the rule of silence in order to 


Early Life of St. Clare in the Hermitage . 33 

speak to her mother. For this she laid upon herself the 
punishment to walk barefooted on the snow in extreme 
cold whilst she recited the Our Father one hundred 
times. She experienced the greatest regret if she at any- 
time gave occasion to her sister to speak to her on any 
matter, even the most trifling; she begged pardon with 
tears, and promised amendment. Johanna once noticed 
that Clare slept with one foot not entirely covered, and 
spoke to her about it, saying that it was not becoming. 
Clare took the correction with humility, and, that it 
might not again occur, ever afterwards tied the clothes 
at night to her feet. But here is something still more 
extraordinary, which illustrates still better Clare’s won- 
derful love for penance. The Superioress wished that 
Clare should share in the public penances often inflicted 
on Sister Andriola, in order that the latter might be en- 
couraged to undergo them with less dissatisfaction. 
Clare not merely consented to this with pleasure, as 
though she had been an accomplice in all the faults of 
her companion, but begged still further that she might 
be permitted to share in all the punishments that at any 
future time might be imposed on Andriola. Her re- 
quest was granted, and henceforward, up to the time 
when she became Superioress, scarcely a punishment was 
imposed on her companion that Clare did not regard as 
her own. In this wise did she seem anxious to imitate 
her Crucified Spouse, who took upon Himself the sins of 
the entire world. 

The Prophet David, turning to the Lord, beautifully 
said, “O Lord, according to the multitude of my 
sorrows in my heart Thy comforts have given joy to my 
soul;” and Clare could well say the same. It was during 
prayer that the Lord usually poured into the soul of His 
beloved penitent the honey of His consolations. The 
sweetness that then filled her breast, and her ardor, were 
so great that not only did her soul languish with love, 
but her body likewise grew weak/ Her heart was so in- 


34 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


flamed with love, during these happy moments, that she 
was often obliged to retire either into the little court- 
yard or the garden, in order to cool her burning fervor. 
Here, with hands and face raised towards heaven, she 
gave vent to her fondest affections in those soliloquies 
and ejaculations which she addressed to her Uncreated 
Love. Clare's prayers and meditations had for their 
chief object the passion of Jesus Christ; and, in order 
that her soul might derive greater profit from these ex- 
ercises, she begged of her Crucified Spouse, with all the 
confidence of a lover, that she might witness His entire 
passion, so that she could the better enter into the con- 
templation of it. Jesus was pleased to hear her prayers; 
and so those sorrowful scenes, the most sorrowful the 
world has ever witnessed, were made visible to the mind 
of Clare, enlightened as it was by grace. She saw the 
entire course of His sufferings from the Last Supper to 
His burial: she saw the bloody sweat in which His 
limbs were bathed in Gethsemane’s garden; she saw the 
treacherous kiss of Judas, and the unworthy seizure of 
His sacred person; she heard the tumult that took place 
in the public places of Jerusalem, before the tribunals, 
and on Mount Calvary; she witnessed the flight of the 
Apostles and disciples, the scoffs of the soldiers and the 
populace, and the cruelties of His executioners; she saw 
the scourges, the thorns, the nails, His cruel crucifixion 
and Mary’s suffering; she heard the loving words'which 
Jesus spoke in the garden, before the tribunals, when 
bearing His cross, and on Calvary; she saw the sacred 
body of the King of Glory mangled, bruised, and pierced 
with a lance; and, entering into the very hearts of Jesus 
and Mary, she was given to understand their unutterable 
grief; in a word, she saw as though she were present 
all the events of His cruel passion, and began to under- 
stand what an enormous price the Man-God was obliged 
to pay for the redemption of her soul and of the entire 
world. This vision acted as fuel to her burning, sym- 


Early Life of Si. Clare in the Hermitage. 35 

pathetic love. And, in order that this love might 
never grow less, but, on the contrary, might burn daily 
more and more brightly in her heart, she oftentimes, 
when meditating on His passion, begged her Jesus to re- 
new this vision; and Jesus, who could refuse nothing to 
His beloved one, opened again before her mental gaze 
the vast field of His frightful sufferings. 

Though gifted with such a spirit and endowed with 
such extraordinary favors, Clare had not yet enjoyed the 
consolation of partaking of the adorable sacrament of 
the Eucharist. Undoubtedly, her merit, even from her 
tenderest years, exceeded that of thousands and thou- 
sands of adults; but it was not customary at that time 
to admit children at so early an age to the Holy Table. 
Besides, her great humility, a virtue opposed to all 
singularity, made her deem herself unworthy of so great 
a favor. But the time had now arrived when her ardent 
desires for this blessing were to be satisfied. Johanna 
made known to her the will of God and of her confessor, 
and told her to prepare herself to receive Jesus Christ in 
the holy Sacrament of the Altar in company with the 
other Sisters. On receiving this intimation the youthful 
virgin rejoiced exceedingly; and, retiring to an obscure 
place, buried herself in the contemplation of this tre- 
mendous mystery, and experienced in her soul senti- 
ments of humility and love, of confusion and joy, of her 
own nothingness and God’s infinite condescension. When 
the moment for receiving came, and Johanna had made 
a sign to Clare to approach the Lord’s Table, the latter 
rose, but was so overpowered with her feelings that she 
forgot the cloak which the religious were wont to use on 
such occasions. Johanna noticed this and reproved 
Clare, accusing her of carelessness and indevotion, and 
forbade her to approach the Holy Table for that morn- 
ing. Clare was greatly grieved at this, but she quickly 
rose superior to her feelings, prostrated herself on the 
ground, confessed her fault, and retired to a corner of 


36 


Life of St. Clare of Mont ef ale o. 

the oratory, there to beg pardon of her Jesus with tears, 
and entreat Him to accept at least her communion of 
desire, and to deign to console her. She was soon fully 
comforted; for her divine Bridegroom showed Himself 
visibly to her in the form of a beautiful infant, ap- 
proached her, embraced her, kissed her on the forehead, 
wiped away her tears, and filled her heart with heavenly 
consolations. Once again, in the second hermitage, the 
same thing occurred to her: she forgot her cloak for the 
Holy Communion, and received a like reprimand and 
prohibition from her sister. This time she retired to her 
cell and gave vent to her sorrow in the presence of 
Jesus, her comforter. The Saviour again appeared to 
her clothed in priestly vestments and surrounded with a 
host of heavenly spirits, and gave her His own sacred 
Body under the sacramental species, and departed, leav- 
ing her overwhelmed with unspeakable joy. 



CHAPTER V. 

Foundation of a New Hermitage ; Its Difficulties and Wants. 

HE FAME of the hermitage of Damian, and 
especially the character of Johanna and Clare 
for sanctity, soon spread themselves abroad 
and won souls to the practice of virtue. The 
pious community numbered at this time eight persons; 
namely, Johanna, Clare, Andriola, Thomasia, Marina, 
Paula, Illuminata, and Agnes. The building was already 
too small even for themselves; much less could they ac- 
commodate new candidates for the religious life. Still 
they knew that such applicants should not be rejected, 
especially when they showed signs of having been called 
by God to the religious state. What, then, was to be 
done ? Should the old hermitage be enlarged or a new 
one be built ? And where were the means to be got for 



37 


Foundation of a New Hermitage . 

either undertaking ? And which of these two plans was 
the more practicable and the more pleasing to God ? Such 
were the difficulties that at that time beset the Blessed 
Johanna, the Superioress of the place. But difficulties 
like these, which are more than sufficient to frighten 
worldly-minded persons, do not disturb the saints. 
Prayer and confidence in God stand for them in the 
place of all other resources. Johanna, in her perplexity, 
had recourse to that God who clothes the lilies of the 
field and feeds the birds of the air. She prayed herself 
and caused her religious to pray; and we can well ima- 
gine with what ardor the zealous Clare joined in these 
pious entreaties. Their prayers ascended to heaven; 
for, as Johanna was one day in prayer, God manifested 
His will to her in a vision. This was that she should 
build a new hermitage on the spot where she would see 
a large cross, and beneath it a numerous throng of vir- 
gins. She had not long to wait for the fulfilment of the 
divine promise; for she saw soon after a brilliant cross, 
all glittering with gems, which stood directly over the 
Hermitage of St. Catherine. This hermitage got its 
name from a small church near by, which was situated 
on a little hill outside the walls of the town but quite 
close to them, and which was dedicated to the glorious 
virgin and martyr of Alexandria. At the foot of the 
cross she saw, too, the band of virgins mentioned in the 
vision. Johanna concealed through humility and mod- 
esty the joy of her heart, as well as the twofold vision, 
and meekly told her religious and their confessor of her 
intention to obtain with God’s help a site for a new her- 
mitage near the above-mentioned church of St. Cather- 
ine. This new building, joined to the one already there, 
would give sufficient room for the accommodation of her 
religious, as well as of any others that might wish to join 
them in the service of God. Although she was completely 
without means for the carrying out of her plan, she had 
but little difficulty in persuading her sisters and their 


38 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

confessor to give their consent; so great was the confi- 
dence they reposed in her, but especially in God's provi- 
dence. Johanna, therefore, set about the work in the 
name of the Lord, and succeeded, through the benefi- 
cence of a pious man, in amassing a considerable sum of 
money. She bought the ground and commenced the 
building. 

But alas for human weakness! The fairest works of 
piety have usually to suffer contradictions and difficul- 
ties. The saints must needs be persecuted; and with 
reference to the foundation of religious houses we have 
only to call to mind the case of St. Teresa. What ca- 
lumnies and persecutions had not this great saint to 
undergo ! The foundations of the new hermitage were 
scarcely laid in Montefalco when a storm of opposition 
arose. Some accused the Blessed Johanna of pride, ^as 
wishing to gain for herself a name as foundress of a re- 
ligious Order. The more moderate considered her fool- 
ish. Others maligned her, saying that the desire for a 
more commodious habitation but ill accorded with the 
spirit of penance which she professed. Others condemned 
her on grounds of avaricious policy, saying that the reli- 
gious would become in after-times a burden on the pub- 
lic for their support. Others still maintained that this 
multiplication of foundations was prejudicial to the 
character and growth of religious Orders, inasmuch as 
young persons would be attracted to them more through 
the love of novelty than the desire of leading a regular 
life. One person, in fact, had the hardihood to attack 
the very character of Blessed Johanna and her compan- 
ions, making against them the most infamous accusa- 
tions, so as to stir up the anger of the listeners. One of 
these latter grew so indignant that he would have laid 
violent hands on the malicious defamer, had not Johanna 
herself interposed and appeased his wrath by her char- 
ity and her prayers. In fine, the opposition to the pro- 
ject became so open and clamorous that it was deemed 


Foundation of a New Hermitage. 


39 


advisable to call a public meeting to consider the mat- 
ter. In this meeting the sentiment of the evil-minded 
and their deluded followers prevailed, and it was resolved 
to send a certain individual of the opposing party, named 
James, to Philip, Count of Gerra, who then ruled the 
duchy of Spoleto, to obtain from him the prohibition of 
the new foundation. The deputy departed on his mis- 
sion, explained his case as well as he could, but to no 
purpose. The good count quickly understood the ma- 
lignity of the opposing party and the insufficiency of 
the reasons which they alleged in defence of their course. 
In the mean time Johanna, who had entire confidence in 
God and was not annoyed by the plots of the evil- 
minded, paid careful attention to the advancement of 
the work she had begun; and her enemies, confounded 
and ashamed, began to grow less and less demonstrative 
in their opposition, their dupes recognized their error, 
and the friends of truth and goodness obtained a com- 
plete triumph. 

The building was not yet finished, in fact was scarce- 
ly roofed, and consequently but ill defended against the 
bad weather, when these good religious took up their 
abode in it towards the year 1282. Amongst these Clare 
was first in point of merit, but last in her own estima- 
tion, as well as in point of age, as she was then but four- 
teen years old. Their first act on coming to their new 
abode was to give thanks to God, and their next to re- 
new their resolution to serve Him and practise virtue 
with still greater courage, zeal, and perseverance than 
heretofore. They had not long to wait for an occasion 
to put their resolution in practice; for, if in the first house 
they suffered for lack of room and other inconveniences, 
in the second, which was still unfinished and conse- 
quently exposed to the weather, they had to suffer from 
the heat of summer and the cold of winter, as likewise 
from the lack of means of subsistence. Johanna felt 
more for others than for herself, and often proposed to 


40 


Life of Si. Clare of Montefalco. 


her religious the example of the Redeemer, who, for sake 
of us wretched sinners, was born in a manger, and en- 
dured cold and all sorts of privations, and who never 
feared the weather when there was question of saving 
souls. No other examples, no other eloquence, was nec- 
essary to make these holy virgins resigned, for they were 
already disposed to penance. St. Clare was remarkable 
beyond all others for her tranquillity of soul and her 
perfect resignation to the will of God, thus putting into 
practice the pious words of her sister. She made for 
herself a dress out of old rags neatly sewn together, and 
then, as though she were rich in worldly goods, she gave 
her ordinary dress and cloak to some Sisters who were 
of weaker constitution and more susceptible of cold, 
content herself to moderate the cold of the weather with 
the fire of her charity. Not content with giving away 
her clothes, she was likewise wont to share her own fru- 
gal meal with any Sister whom she deemed more in want 
than herself. 


CHAPTER VI. 

St. Clare is appointed to collect Alms for the Hermitage. 

P TO the year 1284, when our Saint was six- 
teen years old, the religious supported them- 
selves, both in the old and new hermitages, 
partly by their own labors and partly by the 
aid received from their relatives. But in less than three 
years, and despite the opposition of worldlings, the little 
community had notably increased and now numbered 
twenty. The relatives of all these had not the means or 
the good disposition of the father of Johanna and Clare; 
on the other hand, it was hardly just that the mainte- 
nance of the good religious should fall altogether on a 
few. The consequence of this was that they soon felt 




Collecting Alins for the Hermitage. 41 

the want of means of subsistence. Johanna was 
troubled; still she did not wish to tempt God by asking 
Him to work miracles in their behalf. In these straits 
she had recourse to prayer as usual, but likewise took 
counsel with certain prudent religious persons, especial- 
ly the prelate of the place. It was finally agreed upon 
that some of the Sisters should be deputed to collect 
alms in order to supply the pressing wants of the com- 
munity. This was no easy matter at that time; for, in- 
dependent of the labor necessarily attached thereto, it 
was rendered positively disagreeable by reason of the 
fact that the Mendicant Orders had been but recently 
established. The people, therefore, were not yet accus- 
tomed to the exercise of this charity; besides, they were 
anxious to support the Franciscans, who had recently 
established themselves at Montefalco. For these rea- 
sons Blessed Johanna hesitated upon whom she would 
impose this important charge. It seemed to be exactly 
suited for Clare; for the repulses, mortifications, and 
fatigue necessarily connected with this work were just 
what her soul longed for. One point alone seemed to 
be an obstacle; that was her great love for retirement, a 
virtue she had cherished from her tenderest years. 
Charity, however, rises beyond all other virtues, and 
knows how to preserve the spirit of retirement and 
recollection amidst the noise and tumult of the world, 
as was verified in the case of St. Clare. She presented 
herself before her sister and earnestly begged of her to 
assign to her the task of collecting alms. The Superior- 
ess met her with a refusal, either because she deemed 
her too young or unequal to the fatigue of the occupa- 
tion, or else wished to try her constancy. Our Saint, 
thinking that this refusal came from too great a regard 
which her sister had for her, did not give up her idea, 
but explained the matter to her confessor, Father 
Mariano da Colfiorito. This latter approved of her in- 
tention, and took upon himself to make the bishop ac- 


42 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


quainted with the case. He, too, gave her his approba- 
tion and blessed her good intentions. She consequently- 
presented herself again before her sister, and begged 
more earnestly even than before to have this duty as- 
signed her. Her request was finally granted, and 
Marina was appointed to accompany her. Immediately 
on obtaining her request she hastened to throw herself 
at the foot of the crucifix to thank her dear Lord for 
thus deeming her worthy to share, even in a slight 
degree, in His humiliations and sufferings; and was so 
inflamed with love in the fervor of her prayer that she 
remained for a long time in ecstasy. 

The day appointed by the Superioress and long wished 
for by herself, on which she was to beg for bread for 
her dear Sisters, came at last. Clare wished before all 
to sanctify it by a devout preparation for her work; that 
is, by a fervent prayer to God for His blessing on her 
undertaking, and likewise that He would guard her 
against any violation of her early resolution never to 
look a person of the opposite sex in the face. She like- 
wise begged of Him that He would make her experience 
those mortifications that she deemed herself deserving 
of on account of her sins. The Lord was so pleased 
with this prayer that He drew the Saint so powerfully 
to Him that she lost the use of her senses and fell into 
an ecstasy. Having made a like preparation each of the 
eight times that she afterwards went out for the next 
forty days, she experienced the like divine favors. On 
returning to her senses, Clare presented herself before 
the Superioress to ask her blessing; then, wrapping 
herself in her cloak so that she could neither see nor be 
seen, she went forth in the happiest mood. On the way 
she looked at nothing save the ground on which she 
walked; she scarcely looked at the doors at which she 
knocked. She was always anxious to get before her 
companion in order to be the first to receive the possible 
repulse, or else that she might have the trouble of carry- 


43 


Collecting Alms for the Hermitage. 

ing all or the greater portion of the alms. In receiving 
charity it was her custom to kneel upon the ground, no 
matter how dusty or muddy it might be; she then kissed 
the gift, gave thanks to the Giver of all good things, 
and departed in silence, praying for her benefactors. 
There were not wanting persons who, instead of bread, 
gave her words of abuse; but Clare only rejoiced at this, 
excused the sin, and, when she came around again, ex- 
posed herself more willingly than before to like ill-treat- 
ment. In asking for alms, she always remained at the 
door, so that, of all the families which she visited both 
in the town and country, not one could say that the 
modest, holy maiden to whom they gave alms had 
entered beneath their roof. 

One day as she and her companion were walking in 
the country, they were overtaken by a heavy shower of 
rain. Marina noticed some persons who were driving 
cattle running towards the porch of a neighboring villa 
to get under shelter. She therefore said to Clare: 
“ Dear Sister, it would be well for us to quicken our 
pace, so as to get to that place of shelter.” The Saint 
would not consent, saying that it did not become their 
holy profession to mingle with persons of the other sex, 
with whose character, besides, they were not acquainted. 
She thus preferred to have her clothes drenched with 
rain rather than have her serenity of mind disturbed or 
her soul exposed to the most remote risk of being 
stained. It may well be imagined what astonishment 
and edification her extraordinary modesty and angelic 
recollection caused amongst the people. As she walked 
along, her mind was ever intent on heavenly things, and 
this to such an extent that she often stood for a time as 
though absorbed in ecstasy. Her companion Marina 
noticed this and acquainted Johanna of it. The conse- 
quence was that the latter, partly to increase the humi- 
lity and modesty of Clare, partly through fear lest any- 
thing should happen to her on the highway whilst in a 


44 


Life of St . Clare of Monte falco. 

state of abstraction, forbade the Saint to go henceforth 
to collect alms, without assigning any reason for the 
prohibition. This action of the Superioress fell like a 
thunder-clap upon Clare, and put her in a state of con- 
sternation. But this was only momentary; for she soon 
remembered how valuable was the virtue of self-denial, 
and how great the merit of a joyful and blind obedience. 
She obeyed, and never again during her life set foot out- 
side the convent walls. To supply, however, for this 
occasion of mortifying herself of which she had been 
deprived, she begged to be treated as a menial within 
the cloister; that is to say, she asked for the lowest oc- 
cupations, such as sweeping, washing the dishes, helping 
in the kitchen or at the table, and such like. Being 
asked why she was so anxious to take upon herself the 
work of others, she answered that she did so that the 
good Sisters might have more time for prayer. Never- 
theless the Saint was more contented and happy amidst 
the rigors of her penance and the fatigue and lowliness 
of her occupations than others are amidst the honors 
and pleasures of the world. She spent four years in this 
lowly state. But, it will be asked, will these spiritual 
enjoyments, these ecstasies and other divine favors 
described above, never come to an end ? Or has not 
the spiritual life, too, its periods of darkness, temptation, 
danger, privation, abandonment ? Such is indeed the 
case, as we shall shortly see exemplified in the life of 
Clare. 


St. Clare is tried by Temptations . 


45 


CHAPTER VII. 

St. Clare is tried by Temptations. 

T. CLARE had already run the half of her 
course; she was twenty years of age. She 
had spent her childhood and her youth in 
the strictest practice of virtue, in mortifica- 
tions, and in the rigorous exercise of penance. But 
amidst all the rigor of her observance, amidst her disci- 
plines and her hair-cloths, she always experienced the 
sweetest peace of soul. The yoke of her crucified Re- 
deemer had been for her up to this both sweet and 
light, for the balsam of His love made her burden easy. 
The fragrance of the roses hindered her from feeling the 
punctures of the thorns; and her lower nature was so 
thoroughly subject to the higher that she seemed to be 
something more than human. But Clare was destined 
to undergo those trials which are more painful to devout 
souls than any martyrdom. These constitute the fire 
which cleanses the soul from every spot and stain, even 
as gold is made pure in the furnace. They are the school 
of humility, the highest test of virtue. And it is for 
those who are victorious in this contest that the fairest 
crowns of glory are reserved. Clare was not to be de- 
prived of these rewards, for the opportunity of winning 
them was soon offered her. She was one day in her cell 
with her companion Marina, and they were conversing 
on heavenly things, when the discourse turned upon the 
goodness of her divine Spouse Jesus. “Oh, how mer- 
ciful and loving and kind He is," said she, “that He 
gives us everything we ask for ! He vouchsafes to 
grant me the grace to witness His entire passion every 
time I ask Him." “ But," answered Marina, “ I, too, ask 
for this grace, and beg God earnestly for it; but I know 




46 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

I do not deserve to be heard, since I have not that lively 
faith which you have.” Ah! how necessary it is to be 
mindful of the advice of the Holy Ghost, and be careful 
about praising a man whilst he is yet living! These 
few words of Marina penetrated to the heart of Clare and 
sufficed to awaken therein the faintest feeling of vanity, 
as though she were more favored of God than others. 
She afterwards confessed the fault with tears. It was a 
slight fault, indeed; but in the plans of divine Provi- 
dence, Who knows how to draw good out of evil, it 
offered an excellent occasion for giving the enemy of her 
salvation greater power to tempt her, that her soul might 
thus be purified in the furnace of tribulation. And now 
every fierce temptation seemed as though it were un- 
chained and let loose upon the Saint, like storms rising 
out of the infernal abyss, to disturb the sweet serenity 
of that soul which had been hitherto so calm. The clear 
vision of the passion of Jesus Christ was taken from her, 
and in its stead her fancy was filled with the foulest and 
most shameful images. She felt, what she had hitherto 
never experienced, that rebellion of her senses against 
the law of her mind which is the wretched heirloom 
descending from our first parents, and under which the 
Apostle Paul speaks of himself as groaning, and on whose 
account he longed to be freed from the body of this 
death. Instead of that heavenly light and undisturbed 
serenity of mind which she previously enjoyed, she found 
her soul overspread with such darkness that at best she 
could only grope along the paths of truth and justice; 
and she was often so bewildered by the violence of her 
senses and the dimness of her understanding that it was 
impossible for her to decide whether or not she had con- 
sented to the temptation. Her former peace was now 
changed into an intense desolation of spirit. 

There was no scheme that her malignant tempter did 
not employ to overcome her constancy. After a thou- 
sand different assaults and insidious snares, he went so 


47 


St. Clare is tried by Temptations. 

far as to assume at one time the form of the Crucified One 
Himself. Under this false guise he spoke to her, and 
made every effort to insinuate himself into her heart 
along with the unchaste desires which he suggested to 
her. Not only did he tempt her to unholy actions and 
to complacency in the same, but he stirred up within 
her a storm of passions and a fierce enticement to their 
gratification, so that the wretched Clare saw herself sur- 
rounded, nay, overwhelmed, on every side. One temp- 
tation had scarcely passed away when another followed, 
even as wave follows wave on the storm-tossed sea. At 
one time she found herself on the dizzy heights of dan- 
ger, at another in the awful depths of terror. An ice- 
cold fear made the blood at times freeze in her heart 
and veins, so that, amid the horrid darkness which en- 
veloped her, she could scarce discern, by the dim light 
which God still caused to flicker before her mind, the 
spiritual pole which might guide her steps to Him. She 
often sought to unburden her weary heart to her confes- 
sor and other spiritual guides; conversed with them, 
disclosed to them her misfortunes, and accused herself 
as guilty of the most heinous sins. They sought in 
every way to calm her soul, assuring her that her fears 
were vain, and that where she apprehended sin she had 
only amassed merit; but Clare could with difficulty be 
persuaded of this, and her soul remained a stranger to 
every comfort. Believing herself guilty and exposed to 
the danger of still greater falls, she increased her bodily 
austeries that she might bring her flesh under subjection 
to the spirit and appease the anger of Heaven. It was 
not enough that her soul should be steeped in suffering; 
her body, too, must be lacerated by scourging and re- 
duced by rigorous fasts. It mattered not that Blessed 
Johanna took from her the instruments of penance; Clare 
was too ingenious in devising other means for torturing 
her flesh. During the eleven years in which Clare was 
tossed about on this stormy sea of passion and tempta- 


48 


Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

tion, she sighed and groaned day and night, raised her 
weary eyes to heaven, and in her desolation invoked the 
name of her beloved Bridegroom Jesus; but Jesus slept, 
as of old in the boat on the storm-tossed waters of Lake 
Genesareth, and seemed insensible to the sighs and tears 
of His beloved bride. Still, as He slept, His heart was 
watching to guard her from shipwreck, and in His own 
good time He rose from His slumber, commanded the 
winds and waves, and a great calm ensued. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

The Hermitage is erected into a Convent under the Rule of 
St. Augustine: Blessed Johanna is chosen Abbess, and dies 
soon afterwards. 



LTHOUGH the new building, begun by 
Blessed Johanna, did not reach completion 
till the year 1290, still the good Sisters did 
not desist from receiving other virgins into 
their pious retreat. Their place went on acquiring new 
credit and fame from day to day, till it soon attracted 
wide-spread attention. Amongst those whose attention 
was attracted to it there were some who believed that it 
would be beneficial to the regularity, stability, and 
growth of the establishment if it were erected into a 
monastery or convent, and they expressed their views to 
Johanna. She was convinced by their arguments and 
acquiesced in their opinion. Still, not wishing to act 
hastily in a matter of such importance, she discussed the 
affair with her religious, took counsel with wise persons, 
but above all prayed herself, and got others to pray, that 
the Lord might deign to make known to them His will. 
We know not in what language St. Clare offered up her 
prayers to God on this occasion; but we can scarcely 
doubt that the sorrowing and languid utterances which 




The Hermitage is Erected into a Convent. 49 

came from her soul, all torn as it was by interior strug- 
gles, were more acceptable in the sight of Heaven than 
the most fervent prayers of her companions. After 
these preparations the community resolved unanimously 
to have the hermitage erected into a convent, and like- 
wise decided to lay their resolution before the bishop of 
the diocese, Gerard Artesino, whom pastoral duties had 
just then called to Montefalco. Johanna spoke to the prel- 
ate in the name of her community, and humbly laid before 
him the unanimous desire of its members to become part 
of some approved religious body. But what Religious 
Order, what rule, was to be selected from amongst those 
approved of by the Church ? Johanna and her religious, 
who in all their affairs had but one heart and one soul, 
were especially careful to make no choice of their own 
in a matter of such importance. For the distinctive 
feature of true virtue is humility, and true humility is 
ever distrustful of self, and relies more on the judg- 
ment of others, especially of those whom God has ap- 
pointed to guide us. The petitioners therefore confessed 
their ignorance and inexperience, knowing well that 
God does not permit the humble and obedient to be led 
astray. Besides, they knew that any rule approved by the 
Church is a safe guide to heaven, and that sanctity did 
not depend on the shape or color of their habit. They 
therefore deemed it wiser to abandon themselves to the 
wisdom and discernment of their bishop. The latter 
had already a high opinion of their piety and virtue, but 
this instance of their filial reverence and submission won 
for them a still higher place in his esteem. Knowing 
then how reasonable was their request to serve under 
the banner of some approved Order in the Church, he 
had no hesitation in giving his consent. Neither did he 
hesitate long in selecting a rule for them. He quickly 
determined in favor of the Rule of St. Augustine, and 
this for many reasons. In the first place, it was recom- 
mended by the wisdom and sanctity of its author; then, 


50 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

it was apostolic in its maxims, discreet in its precepts, 
and eminently suited to the weakness of the female sex; 
lastly, it had been embraced by many famous Religious 
Orders, as, for example, the Dominican, that of the Ser- 
vites of Mary, and many others, both regular and mili- 
tary, to say nothing of the Hermits of St. Augustine, and 
the Canons of the same name, who were called later on 
the Canons of St. John Lateran. He accordingly prom- 
ised to erect their house into a monastery, and to affili- 
ate its inmates to the Order of the great Augustine, 
reserving to himself to give at his earliest convenience 
his legal approbation and the canonical institution. 
This he did by special decree of June io, 1290.* By 


* We give here merely the introductory words of this decree: 
“Gerard, by the mercy of God Bishop of Spoleto, to his beloved 
daughters health and benediction in the Lord. Whilst approving of 
your praiseworthy conduct in the Lord, we have deemed it well to 
give you by virtue of this letter the Rule of St. Augustine,” etc. I 
cite these words for the benefit of certain persons who might yet be 
led into an old error that St. Clare belonged to the Franciscan Order. 
It is indeed strange that Father Antony of Montefalco and other his- 
torians of that Order who followed in his footsteps should have fallen 
into this patent error. In the above-mentioned decree, which goes 
into the most minute details of conventual life, not even once is the 
slightest mention made either of St. Francis, St. Clare of Assisi, or 
the Franciscan Order. Add to this the fact that Berengarius, vicar- 
general of Spoleto, who presided over the introductory process for 
Clare’s canonization and was the first to write her life, writes as fol- 
lows two years after her death: “Since the venerable Sisters had 
received the wise Rule of St. Augustine,” etc. Neither here, nor in 
the entire biography, nor in the introductory process, nor in the 
process held by papal authority, nor in the summary of her life, nor 
in the papal briefs issued concerning her at that time, do we find any 
mention made of our Saint as belonging to the Franciscan Order. 
On the contrary, in the petitions sent by the cities of Umbria to the 
same Berengarius asking him to advocate the cause in their name 
before the Holy See, Clare is explicitly called an Augustinian nun. 
Moreover, the Summary drawn up by papal orders begins as follows: 
“Concerning the life, conduct, and miracles of the Augustinian nun, 
Clare of Montefalco, of happy memory, Abbess of the Convent of 


The Hermitage is Erected into a Convent . 51 

this decree he authorized them to receive novices, to 
have an oratory and a bell for divine service, and a 
cemetery for the choir and lay Sisters, and, still further, 
made them capable of enjoying all privileges granted or 
to be granted to the same Order. This foundation took 
place during the pontificate of Nicholas IV., at the time 
when Blessed Clement of Osimo was governing as Gen- 
eral the widely spread Augustinian Order, and, in con- 
junction with Blessed Augustine Novellus, was enlarging, 
correcting, and bringing into one body the Constitutions 
of the same Order. Both these men were famous for 
their learning and sanctity during life, but still more so 


Holy Cross," etc. We read the same words in both the bulls issued 
ten years after her death by Pope John XXII. with reference to the 
process for her canonization. Urban VII. speaks as follows in grant- 
ing the Mass and Office in the Saint’s honor: “The Procurator- 
general of our beloved sons of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine 
has exposed to us that on account of the great veneration which his 
brethren bear to Blessed Clare, a nun of the same Order,” etc. As, 
notwithstanding all these proofs, various writers of the Franciscan 
Order endeavored to claim St. Clare, the consequence was that a dis- 
pute arose, and the following decision was given under Gregory XIII. 
by the Sacred Congregation of the Council: “As Blessed Clare was 
an Augustinian, her body shall be clothed in the habit of the Augus- 
tinian Order, and she herself shall be represented in all pictures and 
paintings in a garment similar in shape and color to that which is worn 
by Augustinian religious." The sole cause of this erroneous opinion 
seems to have been the fact that St. Clare is represented in an old 
picture as wearing a grayish habit. But who does not know what 
liberties painters have taken with reference to the color of the gar- 
ments of their subjects ? They have done this especially in the case 
of St. Augustine, and even in the case of St. Francis. Are the argu- 
ments, based on innumerable most authentic documents, to lose their 
force because of the groundless and well-known whims of careless 
painters ? But if paintings be arguments, there are three pictures of 
St. Clare on the coffin in which her remains were placed in 1430, each 
of which represents her in the Augustinian habit. This erroneous opin- 
ion had its origin in the following circumstance. Donna Maria Manuel 
sent in 1577 a costly coffin in which to place the remains of Clare, and 
presented at the same time a handsome gray garment with a scapular. 


52 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

after death by reason of the public veneration of their 
relics on the altars of the Church. 

The next point for deliberation among the good 
Sisters was what name they should give their new con- 
vent. Johanna then made known to them the mysterious 
vision of the holy cross of which we made mention above, 
and proposed that they should call their house the con- 
vent of the Holy Cross. Her proposition met with 
unanimous approval. They then proceeded to the elec- 
tion of a new Superioress with a new title. Johanna was 
again elected and made Abbess of the new convent. 
This was as it should be; for the bishop held her in the 
highest esteem, and the new nuns loved her as a mother 
and looked upon her as their foundress. They knew 
that it was to her they were indebted for their existence 
as part of a Religious Order; they knew, too, what 
anxieties, contradictions, and labors she had undergone 
in securing their canonical foundation as well as in 


The Sisters at first refused the latter, remarking that the Saint's body 
should be clad in black. In order, however, not to offend their 
benefactress, they finally consented to put the gray garment over the 
black one that was already on the Saint. Finally the bishop, hearing 
of the matter, ordered the new garment to be removed. Then the 
dispute arose under Gregory XIII., until the Congregation of the 
Council gave the decision in favor of the Augustinian Order, which 
we quoted above. Wadding, the great annalist of the Minorites, 
writes as follows after examining the arguments of all the writers 
that preceded him in favor of St. Clare’s being a Franciscan: “ I con- 
fess that I can find no reliable authority on which to record St. Clare 
as having belonged to our Order. On the contrary, it is clear from 
the process for her canonization, from the summary of her life, from 
the bulls of Pope John XXII. which were issued within a few years 
from her death, from her life written by Berengarius, the vicar of 
Spoleto, two years after her death, and from many other documents, 
that she followed the Rule of St. Augustine,” etc. Then, speaking of 
the habit, he says: “ In uncertain matters I do not like to speak with 
certainty; but this I can with certainty affirm, that St. Clare belonged 
to the Augustinian Order.” These arguments ought to be sufficient 
to settle this matter forever. 


The Hermitage is Erected into a Convent. 53 

forming them to piety; they knew her zeal for souls, 
her ability in the management of business, her prudence, 
discretion, amiability; in one word, they knew her to be 
possessed of every quality requisite for a good Superior- 
ess, and so gave their unanimous assent to the bishop’s 
wish that she should be their first Abbess. There re- 
mained for them now merely to make profession of those 
vows which turn the inconstancy of the human heart 
into stability and bind it firmly to God. The year of 
novitiate and trial had not yet been prescribed by the 
Church; on the other hand, these good religious had 
been already sufficiently tested in their vocation by the 
rigors of penance and other holy works. Nevertheless, 
they wished to spend some days in preparation for this 
solemn occasion. At last the happy day came on which 
they were to complete their sacrifice. On that day they 
solemnly promised to God, prostrate at the foot of His 
altar, to live henceforward until death in a state of 
poverty, not alone of spirit, but in effect; to preserve in- 
violate the lily of their virginity, by living with a chaste 
soul and a chaste body; and lastly, to subject themselves 
forever to the will of their superiors as to divine Provi- 
dence itself. Each one may judge for himself how ac- 
ceptable to God was this offering of so many and such 
spotless victims, sacrificed together on the same altar. 
A day so solemn was celebrated with general rejoicing, 
with hymns of praise, and the liveliest expressions of 
gratitude to the Most High. Our Saint felt keener sat- 
isfaction than any one else in this day’s celebration. 
Johanna, too, rejoiced, but her joy was mingled with 
fear. She rejoiced at belonging to a regularly-estab- 
lished Order, but she feared for herself; and her ex- 
perience as Superioress did not lessen her fears lest the 
observance of her community might not correspond to 
the weighty obligations of their newly acquired state. 
Nevertheless, she had to set an example of obedience 
and bend her neck to the new yoke. In order to lessen 


54 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


in some degree the weight of her burden she portioned 
out, in accordance both with rule and custom, the sub- 
ordinate duties amongst the most fitting Sisters, and 
entered, in the name of God, upon her new position in 
the thirty-ninth year of her age. But her administration 
was not to be of long duration, for she was destined to 
be soon called from the trials of life to the bosom of 
God. In the mean time she watched with the greatest 
care over the observance of the rule, and exercised un- 
ceasing vigilance in guiding her religious along the path 
which leads to spiritual perfection; and they, in their 
turn, vied with her in the observance of their rule, for 
the glory of God, and in order to cause no annoyance to 
their dear Mother and Superioress. The sweet peace 
which reigned in their convent and the mutual love 
which bound them all so closely together more than 
compensated for the privations they endured and for 
what they had renounced in the world. But the keenest 
source of pleasure for Johanna, and her greatest conso- 
lation, was to see beside her a sister who made such 
rapid strides towards sanctity and who was a pattern of 
every virtue for her companions. They were sisters by 
blood, but still more in spirit. Yet, if one were to judge 
from the manner in which Clare served and obeyed Jo- 
hanna, they would have deemed her rather her servant 
than her sister. Johanna had now lived for twenty years 
as Superioress both in the hermitage and the convent; 
but her life was more like that of a subordinate or an 
equal than of a superior, for she never wore that air of 
coldness and reserve which is more calculated to repel 
hearts than to win them. On the contrary, she was most 
amiable and condescending in her demeanor, and always 
carried a joyful and smiling countenance. It is recorded 
of her that being one day advised by Clare to refrain 
from smiling, she answered: “This very night you will 
know why I smile.” That very night, at the time of 
prayer, she called Clare to her side, and they both saw 


The Hermitage is Erected into a Convent . 55 

lights of surpassing brightness and heard angelic melo- 
dies. Johanna then remarked, “this is why I smile.” 
Later on the same divine favor was frequently accorded 
to St. Clare. 

But the day had now arrived for Blessed Johanna on 
which God had predetermined to bring to a close her 
penances, vigils, cares, and troubles, and to call her 
to the sweet repose of a blissful eternity. That day 
was November 22, 1291, just a year from the time of 
her election as Abbess, and in the fortieth year of her 
age.* She died calmly in the arms of her beloved 
daughters, who vainly endeavored to suppress the ex- 
pression of their grief at a loss so deplorable. But Clare 
was, beyond all others, inconsolable. For three con- 
tinuous days she poured forth unceasingly tears of bitter- 
est grief, so that the Sisters were astonished at her, for 
she seemed to them to have altogether lost her detach- 
ment from worldly things and her resignation to the will 
of God. They at length resolved to ask her why she 
wept so intensely. Clare replied amid sighs: “Alas! 
Sisters, it is not an earthly affection that causes me to 
weep. I have lost not merely a sister but a mistress, 
who instructed and guided me, with what charity you 
all know; and I have lost her, too, at a time when I have 
most need of her counsel and support.” At this reply of 
Clare, the astonishment of her Sisters at seeing her weep 
w’as changed into astonishment at seeing so great humil- 
ity in one who could well be a leading teacher in the 
spiritual life. But God intended to console her. Towards 
the end of the third day after Johanna’s death, as Clare 


* Many writers have said that Blessed Johanna died in 1295. This, 
however, is in contradiction to the testimony of Sister Thomasia, a 
companion of Johanna, who spoke as follows when examined as 
witness in the process for Clare’s canonization: “Johanna, the sister 
of Clare, died seventeen years before Clare herself.” Now, Clare 
died in 1308; and if we subtract 17 from this we have 1291, the year of 
Johanna’s death. 


56 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

was absorbed in prayer after matins, she heard a step in 
the oratory which was exactly like that of her sister. 
She called her, and the answer came back, “Clare.” At 
this word, Clare, greatly astonished, cried out, “ My dear 
sister, are you then not dead ?” “ Yes,” replied the other, 
“ I am dead; but my death has been simply a transition 
to paradise, where I shall enjoy my God for ever.” 
Clare heard the voice, but saw only a large flame, which 
finally approached and settled on her head. She then 
felt a holy calm suddenly take possession of her heart, 
and her sorrow was changed into joy and feelings of 
gratitude towards God. At the same moment God was 
likewise pleased to bestow upon her the gift of the dis- 
cernment of spirits to an extraordinary degree, so that 
henceforth she was able to tell the goodness or wicked- 
ness of those with whom she came in contact. In this 
way did He recompense her for the trials she had so 
patiently borne during the third year of her spiritual 
struggle, and console her for the loss of her sister. 


CHAPTER IX. 

St. Clare is elected Abbess. 

FTER the last sad honors had been paid 
to the venerated remains of the Blessed * 
Johanna, and the suffrages had been offered 
up for the repose of her soul, the good nuns 
bethought themselves of repairing their great loss. They 


* If the title of “ Blessed ” be here given to Clare’s sister, although 
she enjoys no public veneration on the altar, it is not that we wish to 
anticipate the judgment of the Holy See, but that we do not desire to 
depart from the method of speaking employed by historians in gen- 
eral, and especially by those of the Augustinian Order. Besides, in 
the process for Clare’s canonization she is called a woman of wonder- 
ful sanctity, and we there read: “Johanna was a virgin who bore a 
great reputation for holiness.” 




St. Clare is Elected Abbess . 


57 


accordingly sent word to the bishop of the death of 
their Abbess, requesting him at the same time to pro- 
vide for the election of her successor. The bishop, who 
entertained a special affection for this convent on ac- 
count of* the discipline which flourished there, and also 
because he regarded himself as its founder, sent thither 
without delay his vicar-general. This latter, on his ar- 
rival, immediately began the election, having first in- 
voked the light and aid of the Holy Ghost. He then 
questioned the nuns, one after the other, as to their 
choice, and found them unanimous in their opinion that 
Clare was best fitted of all for the position of Abbess by 
reason of her extraordinary virtues and other necessary 
qualities. There was only one difficulty in the way, and 
that was her age; for she had as yet reached only her 
twenty-third year, and there were many other religious 
in the convent much older than she. But wisdom is not 
measured by years, and the discipline of the Church did 
not require in those times, as it did afterwards, that per- 
sons in such positions should be at least forty years of 
age. Accordingly, this difficulty was overcome with 
ease, both on account of the great personal excellence 
and merit of the Saint, as well as of the ardent wishes of 
the entire community for her election. The vicar-gen- 
eral, therefore, concluded that Clare was not merely the 
choice of the religious, but that she was likewise the 
choice of God. They then proceeded to vote, and the 
votes were without exception in favor of Clare. She was 
accordingly, towards the end of the year 1291, declared 
by the bishop’s deputy the canonically elected Abbess 
of the convent. When she heard her name proclaimed, 
Clare seemed as though she heard her sentence pro- 
nounced, as though she had received a fatal stroke. She 
fell on her knees at the feet of the vicar, wept profusely, 
and in a voice broken with sobs exposed, nay, in her hu- 
mility exaggerated, her defects of age, talent, experi- 
ence, conduct, charity; in a word, endeavored to prove 


58 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


herself full of unfitness and sin. She said that the posi- 
tion suitable for her was that of servant and nothing 
more. She begged and begged to be relieved of the 
onerous charge, till finally the vicar-general, perhaps to 
calm her agitation, postponed her public installation in 
the office, and thus gave her a short period of repose. 
But, moved afterwards by the unanimity of the votes, the 
pressing instances of the religious, and above all by the 
extraordinary virtues of the Saint, he returned to the 
convent and duly installed her in the office, exhorting her 
to put all her confidence in God, and commanding her 
to remember the obedience which she professed. At the 
mention of the word obedience Clare was silent, and 
bowed her head with fear and humility. Whilst noticing 
the joy of others at her elevation, she only felt the more 
keenly her own interior sorrow, and was insensible to 
their congratulations, for these were like so many new 
wounds to her soul. She was in truth an object of pity. 

He who has the heart all enlivened by divine love, and 
walks along smooth and level paths towards the goal of 
spiritual perfection, can, like David, run, even though he 
bears the burden of a kingdom; but Clare, who in those 
years was on the narrow path of purgation, a path all 
strewn with thorns and devoid of every sensible consola- 
tion, felt the entire weight of her burden. To discourage 
her still more, her fancy represented to her in the most 
lively colors the awful strictness with which God will 
judge those who are in authority, and then her own un- 
fitness for the charge. Difficult indeed would it be to 
describe the gloomy thoughts and sad forebodings that 
coursed through her mind on that eventful day. Here, 
she said to herself, it will be necessary to admonish, there 
to entreat; at one time faults must be corrected, at an- 
other, overlooked; for this Sister a nod or an example is 
sufficient, another requires reasons, and a third, com- 
mands; severity will be useful at times, but in general 
kindness will be more efficacious; the faint-hearted have 


St. Clare is Elected Abbess . 


59 


need of encouragement; the vacillating, of counsel; the 
scrupulous, though rarely docile, need both; the melan- 
choly will require consolation, and the sick must not be 
left uncared for and unassisted. In addition to all this, 
a large community must be supported with little or no 
means; and to do this, business matters must be attended 
to, and communication must be had with a multitude of 
persons of a great variety of character. In one word, the 
position of Superioress requires great skill, great pru- 
dence — in fact, every virtue; and Clare, in her humility, 
saw no such qualifications in herself. Notwithstanding 
all this, the will of God must be obeyed — through obedi- 
ence she must begin to command. Listen, now, gentle 
reader, to a strange command ! It was Friday, and the 
young Abbess was in the oratory with the Sisters, when 
suddenly she rose and threw herself on her knees before 
them. Just as Jesus Christ, before He took upon His 
shoulders the wood of the cross, was pleased to be beaten 
by those very men for whom He gave up His life; even 
so did Clare, who was the living copy of her crucified 
Lord, wish to be beaten, not, indeed, by the unbelieving 
and the ungrateful, but by her own beloved and faithful 
Sisters, before she took upon herself the cross of authori- 
ty. She then begged her subjects to approach and pun- 
ish, nay, strike, a sinner, an unworthy creature, such as 
she deemed herself to be. The religious, all astonished 
and confused, refrained, of course, from laying hands on 
their beloved and venerated Abbess. Clare renewed her 
entreaties, reminding them that it was Friday, the day 
on which the Son of God suffered for our salvation and 
to set us an example; but her entreaties were still un- 
heeded. She at last exercised her authority, and gave 
them a formal command to do as she bade them. They, 
urged by obedience, finally stretched forth their hands 
against her innocent body, and Clare, as a criminal, re- 
ceived their strokes, lamenting that they were only too 
light and gentle. An example of such astounding hu- 


60 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

mility, far from lowering her dignity or lessening her 
authority, acquired for her greater respect and efficiency, 
as the experience of the long years of her administration 
plainly proved. 


CHAPTER X. 

Brief Review of St. Clare’s Conduct in the Government of her 
Convent. 

T. CLARE had no need at the commencement 
of her regime to establish new ordinances for 
the preservation of order in her convent; for, 
aside from the fact that the just, such as 
these religious undoubtedly were, are a law unto them- 
selves, they had before their eyes the wise rule of the 
great Augustine, the chief Doctor of the Church, and the 
father and founder of the Order to which they belonged. 
Besides, the Constitutions of the same Augustinian 
Order had been but recently compiled by the Blessed 
Clement of Osimo and Blessed Augustine Novellus, and 
the Sisters could easily gather from these the points suit- 
able to their sex and state. In addition to all this, the 
Augustinian Order offered for their imitation numerous 
models of regular and perfect observance, whose fame 
was spread far and wide. Such were the two eminent 
masters of the religious life, Clement and Augustine, of 
whom I have previously made mention with praise; such, 
the great St. Nicholas of Tolentine; such, Blessed Philip 
of Piacenza, Blessed Antony of Patrizi, Blessed Gregory 
of Celli; such, the Blessed Christina of Menabobus, and 
many others, whom the Augustinian Order throughout 
the world and their own respective dioceses honor in the 
holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in their prayers. Blessed 
Angelo of Foligno was likewise contemporary with St. 
Clare. This venerable servant of God was known through- 




Reviezv of St. Clares Conduct in Governing. 61 


out the entire surrounding country for his virtues, and six 
years before — that is, in 1285 — he had quitted his native 
Foligno and the convent he had founded there in 
order to establish another in Montefalco, near the church 
of St. John the Baptist, where Clare had received her 
first spiritual favors. In enumerating the eminent reli- 
gious of the Augustinian Order at that epoch, we should 
not omit the name of Blessed Egidius of Colonna,* who 
acquired such a wide-spread reputation for his extensive 
learning and extraordinary virtue. On this account it 

* Egidius of Colonna was born at Rome in 1247, and was descended 
from the noble family of the Colonnas. Gifted by nature with noble 
qualities, and brought up in piety and the fear of God by his parents, 
he spent his youth in great purity of morals. He often visited the 
Augustinian convent of S. Maria del Popolo, partly to venerate there 
the miraculous picture of the Madonna, partly to hold discourse with 
the zealous religious and be thus more and more strengthened to walk 
along the path of holiness. Notwithstanding the entreaties of his 
parents and the flatteries of his friends, who placed before him the 
enjoyments of the world, he entered the Augustinian Order under 
Clement of Osimo. After his profession he was sent to Paris to study 
theology in that world-renowned university. He had for teacher there 
St. Thomas of Aquin, who became much attached to him on account 
of his great talents and excellent virtues. Egidius, on his part, en- 
tertained the highest esteem for the Angelic Doctor, and undertook 
his defence against William of Lammare, when the latter attacked his 
teaching. Having received the doctorate, he was the first Augustinian 
to teach philosophy and theology at Paris. This he did with so much 
applause that he received the title of Doctor Fnndatissimus (the most 
solid doctor), and the general chapter of his Order, held at Florence 
in 1287, decreed that his teaching should form the rule for the schools 
of the Order. He was preceptor to Philip the Fair, for whom he 
composed the work, in three books, entitled Dc Regimine Principum 
(Rome, 1482 and 1607; Venice, 1598). He became General of the 
Order in 1292, and was afterwards appointed Archbishop of Bourges 
and Primate of Aquitaine by Boniface VIII. He died at Avignon on 
December 22, 1316. He was a very voluminous writer, and fol- 
lowed for the most part his teacher St. Thomas in his theological 
views. Lanteri enumerates thirty works of his, chiefly on dogma, 
exegesis, canon law, and philosophy. (See Kirchenlexikoii von Wet- 
zer und IVelte , II. Bd. ; Hausle, Lanteri, and others.) 


62 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

was sufficient for Clare to remind her religious of the 
spirit of the rule and statutes, and point to the living ex- 
amples of faithful observance and genuine virtue. For 
it was genuine virtue that Clare loved; and she hated 
from her heart that false, apparent virtue which is wholly 
unproductive of good works, and which, in point of fact, 
is nothing less than hypocrisy, or vice itself dressed in 
the garments of virtue. In this she resembled the Re- 
deemer Himself, who condemned the Pharisees for their 
hypocritical profession of virtue, and the Apostle St. 
John, who inveighed for a like reason against the sec- 
tarian followers of the heretic Nicholas. Clare was espe- 
cially careful in guarding against the introduction of 
minor defects, for, as a little leaven corrupts the whole 
mass, so do these slight imperfections tarnish the bright- 
ness of virtue. In order to instil into her subjects the 
virtues suitable to their state, and obtain for them a 
strong foothold in their hearts, she brought her com- 
munity together once a week in the chapter-room, and 
there, after the reading of some point of the Rule, she de- 
livered to them a short but appropriate discourse, filled 
with the unction of her charity, and well calculated to 
make them enamored of the heavenly beauty of virtue 
and strict observance. She then, after hearing their 
faults, imposed penance, gave suitable advice, and closed 
the chapter with the prayers prescribed by the statutes. 
She gave no dispensation from the penances enjoined, 
for she was convinced that dispensations, like privileges 
in general, and too great conniving at faults on the part 
of superiors, pave the way for laxity. There never was 
a case in which she made exception in the enforcement 
of discipline on account of relationship, birth, age, or in- 
terest. She knew well that that exception of persons 
which so frequently begets odious rivalries and hatred 
amongst brethren found no place with God. For this 
reason she had regard to merit alone, not merely in im- 
posing penances, awarding offices, and distributing fa- 


Review of St. Clare s Conduct in Governing. 63 

vors; but of course she understood well how to make 
those exceptions which charity prescribes in favor of the 
sick or those hindered from the discharge of duty by any 
other reasonable cause. In her private admonitions she 
always attempered her language to circumstances and to 
the character of the party admonished, and strove with 
fine skill and admirable diplomacy to obtain an entrance 
into the heart, in order, on the one hand, to gain her 
point, and, on the other, to preserve unbroken that peace 
and love which should always subsist between subjects 
and superiors. Our Saint was a source of the greatest 
consolation to her religious by reason of the gift of coun- 
sel, which she possessed to a high degree. For, as she 
opened her heart -to all, and drew all towards her by her 
amiable disposition, she was a constant refuge in every 
trouble. Those who were troubled in mind came to her 
for comfort and counsel; and they that were afflicted with 
spiritual dryness, and those who suffered from tempta- 
tions or scruples, the weak-minded, the vacillating, the 
sick, all came to her, and all went away from her con- 
soled. 

By virtue of the same gift she understood the dispo- 
sition of those who asked for the religious habit; and 
hence it happened that she accepted some and rejected 
others contrary to the opinion of her religious, who 
judged according to external appearances merely and 
were deceived. As regards the maintenance of the com- 
munity, there were only two sources of revenue. One 
was the labor of the religious, and this was not of much 
account, for their rule required them to spend much time 
in spiritual exercises; and the other was the uncertain 
and scanty supply obtained from alms. But her spirit 
of poverty needed nothing more. Nay, even her fru- 
gality was such that she was often able to relieve the 
suffering poor without causing complaints among her 
own mortified religious. Their manual labor was per- 
formed in common, and a nun named Discreta super- 


64 Life of Si. Clare of Montefalco. 

vised it, assigning to each religious her work in propor- 
tion to her strength and skill. At times they overcame 
the dulness and fatigue of their work by spiritual read- 
ing or pious conferences. Their clothes were kept in a 
common wardrobe, and their table was likewise common, 
with those exceptions only which necessity demanded. 
Their prayers were recited in common, and also the Di- 
vine office and the suffrages for the faithful departed; 
this latter being a devotion which the Saint especially 
loved to promote. They approached the sacraments to- 
gether, and it was Clare’s wish that they should approach 
them frequently; they observed silence, too, strictly and 
in common; in fact, all things were common amongst 
them, and the centre of this holy community was the 
ever-watchful heart of St. Clare. One thing which al- 
most invariably injures this holy union of souls is inter- 
course with persons of the world and engagement in 
worldly matters. Clare was extremely careful in guard- 
ing against the evil consequences which flow from this 
source. To this end she guarded with the utmost vigi- 
lance both the grate and the door; and, although as yet 
the rule of monastic enclosure was not so strict as it after- 
wards became, she seldom gave permission to her reli- 
gious to go to the grate in order to hold conversations 
with visitors. And when she did grant such permission 
to a nun, she always required her to wear her veil drawn 
over her face, and be attended by some companion who 
observed all that passed. She was careful, too, that per- 
sons of the world should not be introduced within the 
cloister unless accompanied by some of the older Sisters, 
and then each religious was obliged to retire to her cell. 
If, perchance, one or another had heard any news from 
without, it was not to be spoken of, lest it might cause 
distraction to those holy souls whose entire conversation 
should be with God. In a word, her vigilance extended 
to the smallest matters, for she was convinced that small 
matters lead to great, and that nothing which relates to 


Progress of St. Clare in Theological Virtues . 65 

the service of God is really unimportant. She required 
strict observance of rule from others, but was herself the 
first to set the example of it; for she knew what force good 
example has, and that man, subject as he is to his senses, 
is more influenced by sensible facts than by the empty 
sound of words. Just as Jesus, the great Teacher of hea- 
venly truth, first began to do and then to teach, even so 
Clare, who ever framed her conduct after that great 
Model, first practised herself what she advised or com- 
manded. Nor did she fear that her dignity would be 
lowered by engagingin the meanest occupations, and by 
frequently acting as a servant, for in this she but copied 
the example of the Son of God, who descended from the 
bosom of His Father, not to be ministered unto, but to 
minister unto others, as He said Himself, and so confound 
human pride. But what we have said thus far is only 
an imperfect account of the great things done by our 
Saint for the glory of God, the sanctification of her own 
soul, the spiritual advancement of her religious, and the 
salvation of others, during the long period of her Superior- 
ship, as will be clearly seen from the survey of her vir- 
tues which we are now about to make. 


CHAPTER XI. 

Progress of St. Clare in Virtue generally, but especially in the 
Theological Virtues. 

AN has only to pay attention to himself and 
to the experience of ages in order to see that 
his intellect has been indeed darkened by 
original sin, and that, in matters of religion 
and morality, he must grope along in darkness, always 
in danger of being lost in continual contradictions, un- 
less he be guided by the unerring light of Heaven. This 
supernatural light is Faith, the first of all virtues, with- 
out which it is impossible to please God, and without 



66 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

which, furthermore, all other virtues are but a mask that 
drops off on the slightest opposition. Facts prove only 
too conclusively in our own times that, in proportion as 
faith diminishes, good morals, too, fall away and disap- 
pear. 

St. Clare, whose virtue was born of faith and nurtured 
on it, was well convinced of this, and her conviction was 
strengthened by the nascent heresy of the Beguins, which 
had begun to be preached in the neighboring town of 
Bevagna towards the year 1290 by a certain Ottonello. 
This man was afterwards convinced of the falsity of the 
doctrines he sought to propagate, and was converted to 
the truth by Blessed James of Bevagna, a distinguished or- 
nament of the famous Dominican Order. These Beguins 
were heretics who strove by an affected virtue to corrupt 
the maxims of the Gospel, and by their odious excesses 
to give a fatal blow to virtue itself. One of these, of 
whom we shall have occasion to speak again, in order to 
gain proselytes to his diabolical party had the audacity 
to approach the Convent of the Holy Cross and tempt 
the Saint herself. But he found in her a heroine of the 
faith, who quickly discovered the impiety which he con- 
cealed beneath the mantle of hypocrisy, courageously 
opposed him, and sought to convert him to the true faith. 
But seeing that he remained insensible both to her argu- 
ments and entreaties, she succeeded in having him im- 
prisoned in order to hinder him from spreading further the 
deadly poison of his corrupt teaching. This zeal of Clare 
for the purity of the faith will undoubtedly be censured 
and condemned by the disciples of so-called liberty and 
tolerance in our times. Those very persons, who would 
clap their hands in applause if they saw some poor, un- 
fortunate wretch dragged to the galleys or the scaffold 
for some petty robbery, have nothing but sympathy and 
pity for the impious men who are guilty of high treason 
against the Majesty of God, for the propagators of irre- 
ligion and immorality, for the corrupters of society and 


Progress of St. Clare in Theological Virtues. 67 

the enemies of the social order and of established go- 
vernments. They have no toleration except for impiety, 
and to impiety of every description they are pleased to 
give the mild name of opinion. But St. Clare, though she 
had not studied philosophy, knew full well that facts, 
and especially such facts, are not mere opinions, and that 
he who tolerates them, or is indifferent to the downfall 
of religion and good morals, is no friend of God or of 
the state, and has neither charity nor any other virtue. 
There was another heretic of the same sect who was 
more led away by evil associations than bad at heart; with 
him our Saint was more successful, for she had the con- 
solation of leading him back to the way of truth and jus- 
tice. Thus, burning ever with the most ardent love for 
the purity of the faith, she endeavored to instil her own 
zeal into all with whom she came in contact; into those 
priests who made a specialty of preaching the Gospel, 
as well as into those who attended to the more humble 
needs of their flock, and into pious persons of every class. 
But in every case her object was to guard the flock of 
Christ from wolves in sheep’s clothing, and to bring back 
the stray sheep to the one true fold. 

Her sorrow was great at finding that so many had 
fallen into heresy, and, in consequence of these sad falls, 
she learned from experience not to place too great con- 
fidence in the virtue of her religious. She therefore 
recommended them to be always on their guard against 
the artifices of these carnal and sacrilegious teachers of 
a false spirituality. In fact, she suffered not to go un- 
corrected a single unguarded word that, even in the re- 
motest degree, might tend to tarnish the purity of their 
faith.* And what efforts had she not to make in 


* She was wont to say to the Sisters: “ My beloved children, be 
firm and immovable in the holy Catholic faith, and remember ever 
that you are daughters of the old true Church which was founded by 
God, purified and embellished by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and en- 
riched and guided by the Holy Ghost. Lend not your ears to the 


68 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

order to guard her own faith and hinder herself from 
falling from that exalted heroism of which we have just 
seen her give proof! We must not forget in what a 
wretched state the Saint found herself at this time. Her 
conflict with the enemies of her salvation still raged 
fiercely; temptations against every virtue still assailed 
her, but especially temptations against faith, which is the 
foundation of all other virtues, and which the devil for 
that reason made special efforts to weaken and destroy. 
He spread darkness over her intellect, suggested doubts, 
proposed reasons against the dogmas of the Church, even 
sent his agents to the door of her holy retreat, so that at 
any cost he might make her his prey. But, as the Apostle 
says, virtue is perfected in infirmity and temptation. 
Clare, therefore, far from yielding to the assaults of the 
infernal enemy, rather caused her faith to take still deeper 
root, and burned with so ardent a desire of sealing it with 
her very heart’s blood, that she bore a holy envy towards 
the many millions of martyrs who had the happiness of 
testifying to it amidst tortures and death. 

But faith is very imperfect without the hope of one 
day possessing that Sovereign Good in which we believe. 
Such faith is in fact the faith of those who despair. Now 
it was precisely this holy virtue of hope that formed the 
support of the Saint amidst the many temptations she 
had to undergo, as well against her faith as against 
every other virtue, during her long and trying warfare. 


damnable innovations that are preached by the servants of Satan, and 
which send so many souls to eternal ruin.” She took the greatest pre- 
caution that none of her religious should speak at the grate with those 
who were in the least suspected of heresy; and when on one occasion 
a man of this character had the boldness to approach the convent- 
gate, she said to him with determined air and curt language: “ Enter 
not into this place, but leave these holy walls instantly, and never 
dare to come hither again. I shall pray the Lord God that He may 
cure your blindness.” Such was Clare’s zeal for our holy faith. (From 
the Analecta juris pontijicii.) 


Progress of St. Clare in Theological Virtues. 69 

When her infernal enemies threatened to drive her from 
the path of righteousness, she clung with tenacity to the 
strong anchor of hope and defied them, even as some 
gigantic rock with deep foundation defies the wildest 
fury of the surging billows. Supported solely by her 
confidence in God, she would gladly have buried herself, 
like so many others before her, in the most frightful and 
inhospitable of deserts, in order to be freed from the 
dangers of her position and of the world, but chiefly to 
attend to the contemplation of heavenly things and give 
herself over to the extreme rigors of penance. So much 
was she engrossed with these thoughts that at times the 
expression of them inadvertently escaped her lips. Her 
Sisters regarded these expressions as the passionate out- 
pourings of a soul filled to overflowing with the love of 
God, and remarked to her that only lions, tigers, and 
serpents dwelt in these vast deserts. Clare replied: 
“Those who trust in God have nothing in this world to 
be afraid of, and can live amidst such monsters with as 
much tranquillity as amongst religious.” For the same 
reason she was never troubled to-day about the wants of 
her community on the morrow; nay, it sometimes hap- 
pened that, seeing the wants of the poor to be greater 
than those of her own religious, she caused all the pro- 
visions of the community to be distributed amongst them. 
When some of the nuns complained of this, she censured 
them as lacking confidence in God’s goodness, saying 
that if God feeds the birds of the air He is much more 
careful in providing for the wants of man, who is made 
to His image and likeness and reposes his confidence in 
Him. It happened one day that the Sisters who were 
out collecting alms returned without anything. The 
hour for eating came, and the nuns found themselves at 
table without anything to eat. Hereupon the Saint, with- 
out wavering in the least in her heroic confidence, turned 
her eyes towards God and begged of Him to give them 
food at the fitting time, to open the hand of His provi- 


70 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


dence and fill even their bodies with the gifts of His 
bounty. A moment after, Sisters Illuminata and Marina 
entered the refectory, bearing in their hands a basket 
filled with the whitest bread, which they had found in 
the oratory — an undoubted miracle of divine Providence 
in their behalf On another occasion Clare was censured 
by her brother, Father Francis, for not being more care- 
ful in strengthening the walls which surrounded the con- 
vent for the greater security of her religious. Although 
she was poor in the goods of this world, and consequently 
unable to meet such expense, she was rich in her confi- 
dence in God’s goodness. She therefore replied to her 
brother with all humility and trust, that her community 
was safer under the protection of the Lord than if it were 
surrounded by the strongest fortifications. Her confi- 
dence was not in vain; for, though the town itself and the 
surrounding country were not wanting in evil-minded 
persons, neither she nor her religious ever suffered any 
mishap. But of her lively faith and firm hope we shall 
find abundant proof in the remaining portion of her life, 
as well as in the numerous miracles worked through her 
intercession during life and after death. 

It was thus St. Clare believed and hoped in God; not 
with that dead faith or presumptuous hope which have 
no connection with charity, and by which the sinner is 
only too often misled^ but she believed with that faith 
which worketh through charity unto good, and she hoped 
with that energetic hope which runs along the path of 
merit to the possession of that highest good, the sove- 
reign God Himself. Yes, charity, which is the animat- 
ing principle and the fulfilment of every virtue, every 
perfection, and all sanctity, gave life to all the other 
virtues of the Saint, and accompanied in an extraordinary 
degree all the acts of her life. She had consecrated her- 
self entirely to God from the first dawning of reason, 
and made the resolution to love none other than Him; 
towards Him she directed by an irrevocable vow her 


Progress of St. Clare in Theological Virtues. 71 

every thought and her every affection; and, as she grew 
in years and virtues, she sighed day and night for Him 
whom alone she loved, and esteemed herself and every- 
thing else that was not of God as of no account. In short, 
her life was one continual act of love; she longed for 
the mysterious kiss of peace, for union with the august 
object of her fondest affections, and her soul was im- 
patient to be freed from the shackles of the body that it 
might hasten its flight to the bosom of the Uncreated 
Good. Nevertheless, the sensible experience of her love 
did not correspond to her ardent desires, especially dur- 
ing the years of her internal warfare, in which her love 
glowed indeed, but insensibly, as a fire that is covered 
with ashes. She was pained at not feeling within her- 
self the burning love of the greatest saints, nay, even of 
the Seraphim themselves. And when she buried herself 
in the contemplation of God’s unspeakable loveliness, 
and saw the immense disproportion between her love and 
His merit, she accused herself of coldness, and looked 
upon herself as the most ungrateful of His creatures. 
She therefore employed every means in her power to 
kindle in her heart the flame of divine love, and she 
begged of God day and night, amid sighs and tears, to 
infuse this purifying love of Himself into her soul. Fre- 
quently during the day, as we have already remarked, 
she adored her Lord on bended knees; and, remember- 
ing the words of the Royal Prophet, that the fire of 
divine love burns most brightly in contemplation, she 
made this holy exercise her constant occupation. On 
the departure of the religious from the oratory after 
complin, she was wont to remain there that she might 
commune in solitude with her God and meditate on 
heavenly things. So absorbed would she become in her 
meditations that she seemed oblivious of herself and all 
earthly objects, and sometimes forgot even her sleep and 
meals. It was not unusual for her to prolong her vigils 
to the morning, and then, after reciting matins, return 


72 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

to her meditation until the hour of terce. In addition 
to all this, she practised many other devotions in the re- 
tirement of her cell, and was accustomed, even in her 
temporal occupations, to raise her heart frequently to 
God. She had, furthermore, set apart certain privileged 
days throughout the year on which she devoted herself 
completely to meditation. On those days she begged 
the Sisters to leave her entirely to herself, and in nowise 
disturb her with temporal matters unless they were of 
the most pressing necessity, in order, as she said, that 
she might do some good for her soul. These days were 
the principal feasts of Our Lord and of the Blessed Vir- 
gin; the two feasts of the Holy Cross; the feasts of the 
Apostles, of Holy Father Augustine, of the holy virgin 
and martyr St. Catharine, patroness of the neighboring 
church; of St. Agnes and St. Margaret; of St. Francis, 
her special protector; and of St. Clare, whose name she 
bore. Not only did she fast on the vigils of these feasts, 
but she spent the night in watching and the entire day 
in prayer, — and in such fervent prayer that she often fell 
into a state of ecstasy. The imagination cannot picture 
to itself the soaring flight of her entranced spirit at 
these happy times. 

The dearest and most familiar subject of her medita- 
tions was the passion of Jesus Christ. Here it was that 
she learned to purify still more her already pure affec- 
tions. With reference to this matter it is worth mention- 
ing that, when the Saint was but fourteen years old, a 
pious woman named Agnes of Gubbio, who led a solitary 
life in Monteluco, near Spoleto, came to visit Johanna in 
Montefalco. In the pious conversation that ensued 
Agnes said: “ Happy he who, when he eats, sees in the 
dish before him the wounds of Jesus, and when he 
drinks, sees in the cup His sacred Heart; happy the soul 
that looks at the transitory things of the world with the 
eyes of Jesus, and is nourished with the sacred body of 
its Redeemer.” Clare heard these words, and they sank 


Progress of St. Clare in Theological Virtues. 73 

deeply into her heart, so that she quickly resolved to 
make them her own by putting them into execution. 
Her practice, instead of falling short of her resolution, 
soon exceeded it, so that she scarcely saw a single object 
that did not bring to her mind some mystery of the 
passion. Whenever she sat down to table her mind re- 
verted to these pious thoughts; in the act of eating she 
remembered the wounds of her Saviour, when she drank 
she thought of His loving Heart; and these mental 
images were accompanied by affections of which those 
only are capable who transform themselves into the ob- 
ject of their compassion. At times she even broke out 
into pious ejaculations that were interrupted by her 
sighs and tears. When she became aware of this she 
blushed; consequently, when she was a subject, she 
either kept her eyes veiled, or strove to distract herself 
by serving at table. As these remedies did not suffice, 
Blessed Johanna was obliged to forbid her to appear any 
more at table with the other religious. She obeyed; and 
when she was made Abbess she observed the same custom 
by the advice of her confessor, either going to table 
when the others had finished, or else leaving the refec- 
tory when she found she could not control her feelings. 
In reward for her great devotion to His passion, her 
heavenly Bridegroom frequently made her taste on her 
food the bitterness of gall and wormwood, or else feel in 
some portion of her body a part of His sufferings. But 
as these things could not satisfy a heart which was all 
sympathy, all love, for her crucified Redeemer, she joined 
to them her voluntary pains, her vigils, fasts, and morti- 
fications of every kind. Because her mind was deeply 
impressed with these meditations and accustomed to 
them, in her conversations with the Sisters she frequently 
spoke of the passion of Christ, and recommended them 
to meditate often upon His sufferings and those of His 
blessed Mother. And that they might accustom them- 
selves to the remembrance of these subjects, she advised 


74 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 


them to place themselves often in postures similar to 
those assumed by the Saviour during His passion. 
Neither were her religious the only persons to whom she 
recommended this devotion. She gave a like advice to 
all with whom she came in contact; and when she saw 
any one in trouble she was wont to say: “ Look upon the 
cross of Jesus, and your trouble will be less difficult to 
bear.” As she considered that sin alone was the cause 
of the sufferings of her Beloved One, she conceived for it 
the greatest horror, and frequently said: “I would 
rather endure every conceivable torture, would rather 
be torn in pieces, than offend my loving God by a single 
venial sin!” She shed abundant tears when she reflected 
on the insults offered to the Divine Majesty by sinners, 
and the injury done to the fold of Christ by the spread 
of heresy; and she was grieved beyond measure when 
she saw what little zeal even the faithful manifested for 
the honor and glory of God. Her most ardent wish was 
to oppose a barrier to the inroads made on faith and 
piety, and to replace the coldness of indifference with the 
warmth of divine love. As regards her religious, her 
zeal was without bounds, for she was never weary in her 
efforts to excite them to the love of God. Nor were her 
efforts fruitless; for in the ranks of her spiritual daugh- 
ters many striking models of the highest virtue were to 
be seen. In her deep earnestness to promote the holy 
cause of divine charity in the hearts of others, the Saint 
had no difficulty in finding motives to propose to them. 
It is thus she reminded them of the inestimable blessings 
of creation, preservation, God’s watchful care, and, turn 
by turn, of all the immense blessings of divine grace, 
finishing with the eternal glory of Heaven. But it is 
needless to occupy ourselves longer with this subject; 
for all that has been thus far written concerning the 
Saint, and all that remains to be said of her, is neither 
more nor less than the record of her love for God. 


6V. Clares Love of her Neighbor . 


75 


CHAPTER XII. 

St. Clare’s Love of her Neighbor. 

E have already remarked that St. Clare had 
formed the resolution to love nothing else 
but God; and yet she loved creatures too, and 
loved them as much as others loved them; but 
the love she bore them was in nowise opposed to that 
which she had promised to God. Rational creatures are 
made to God’s image and called to the possession of His 
eternal kingdom; wherefore He declares that what is 
done even for the least of these He will consider as done 
unto Himself. He wishes to be Himself loved in man, 
and therefore proclaims the great law which is the 
abridgment of Christian morality; namely, that we 
love our neighbor as ourselves. And who is our neigh- 
bor if our fellow-man be not such ? Taught in this 
school of charity, St. Clare loved her neighbor in order 
to love her God; and she loved him, not with that sen- 
sual, interested, natural love so common in the world, 
and which in the end amounts to nothing more than the 
love of self and of one’s passions, but with that generous 
and noble love which the Gospel inculcates. She pos- 
sessed no property, she was poor, and her community 
lived by the labors of their hands and by alms; yet in 
her poverty she bestowed more alms upon God’s poor 
than very many rich people in the world. For these, 
owing to avarice, or sinful lavishness, or intemperance, 
or vain display, or amusements, or the indulgence of dif- 
ferent passions, have nothing left wherewith to help the 
suffering members of Jesus Christ and purchase Heaven 
for themselves. But our Saint not only gave of what 
was superfluous, but her charity went still farther and 
made her give even what was necessary for herself and 




76 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

her community. She used to say that it was perfectly 
conformable to the order of charity that one who is poor 
should deprive himself of what he has in order to give 
it to one that is poorer. In accordance with this heroic 
maxim she gave strict orders that no poor person should 
ever be allowed to leave the convent-door without re- 
ceiving help if help was in the house. Her pious com- 
mand was literally fulfdled by the Sisters. This extraor- 
dinary liberality of the Saint often left her religious 
family without food, and the nuns were not seldom con- 
strained to content themselves with herbs for their 
meals, or else await some new exhibition of divine care. 
This circumstance, however, far from exciting distrust 
or discontent amongst these mortified religious, served 
only to convince them still more of God’s infinite bounty; 
so that Clare had the double satisfaction of relieving 
the wants of the poor and witnessing the self-denial and 
resignation of her Sisters. But though alms were daily 
distributed at her convent, she was anxious that they 
should be distributed more generously on the great feasts, 
being firmly convinced that there was no better way of 
honoring these days than by works of charity. She was 
likewise accustomed to distribute twelve loaves of bread 
among as many poor persons, in honor of the twelve 
Apostles, whenever bread was baked in the convent. 

Another excellent work of charity is to clothe the 
naked; and this, too, was an object of Clare’s solicitude. 
If at any time her relatives or other benefactors sent her 
cloth or garments for her own personal use, she either 
placed them in the common wardrobe for the use of 
the house, or else distributed them amongst those who 
were in need of them, being content herself with a single 
garment, and that always of the worst. Two poor women 
of Montefalco, named Beatrice and Clare, were fre- 
quently clothed and helped in other ways by our Saint. 
Not to speak of the many other objects of her char- 
ity, she once took her cloak from off her own shoulders 


St. Clare s Love of her Neighbor. yy 

and sent it to a man who had been just released from 
prison, and who, as she was told, was hiding half-naked 
in a corner of the neighboring church. Neither was her 
charity of that kind which waits until the poor and the 
hungry and the naked come to expose their wants and 
ask for relief amid shame and confusion. She herself 
went around in search of the needy and unfortunate, 
made inquiries concerning them, and secretly sent them 
timely relief. 

The alms that are given with purity of intention and 
in the true spirit of charity have the power of making 
gifts return in abundance into the lap of the giver. This 
truth was verified to a singular degree in the case of St. 
Clare; for considerable donations were often sent her by 
rich people in the world and by cardinals and prelates. 
Of these she used by far the smallest portion for the 
needs of her own convent, and sent the remainder to 
other pious houses and to persons in the town who 
were more needy than herself. But her charity was not 
content with this. She oftentimes addressed herself to 
God in the sweetest and most touching terms of com- 
plaint concerning the wants of His creatures. Her ten- 
der heart suffered much when it witnessed human misery, 
and divine Providence was often pleased to pay attention 
to her lamentations and send the needed help. The Lord 
loves the cheerful giver, say the Holy Scriptures; and 
Clare was ever cheerful in the bestowal of her charity. 
It was when a great multitude of poor persons surround- 
ed her that one could really see how dear to her was the 
exercise of this holy virtue. In such cases she was never 
heard to complain either of the number of the needy or 
of her own poverty. If she had but little to give, she 
first pleased God by her desire to give more, and then 
compensated for the smallness of the gift by the cheerful 
manner in which she gave it and the words of hope and 
consolation with which she accompanied it. It was easy 
for her to feel pleasure in giving and to administer com- 


78 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

fort, for the joyfulness of her countenance plainly showed 
that she experienced more pleasure in distributing alms 
than the poor did in receiving them. 

The sick, too, were a special object of her sympathy. 
She herself suffered much from sickness; but whenever 
she could be out of bed she seemed forgetful of her own 
infirmities that she might attend to those of others. She 
was in all truth the Mother of her religious; less, how- 
ever, by her authority than by her kind and delicate at- 
tention. In works of charity she was the servant of all, 
but more especially of the sick and infirm. That ten- 
der, motherly love with which her heart was filled shone 
forth in her mild countenance, and showed itself in the 
words of comfort which she spoke and in the sighs which 
escaped her when she witnessed the sorrows of others. 
So keenly did she feel the miseries of others that she be- 
came sick through very sympathy; but that self-same 
sympathy imparted to her strength and energy to serve 
them in their wants and relieve their distress, for it made 
her see in the persons of the wretched the image of her 
suffering Saviour. She never waited till the Sisters them- 
selves complained of being sick, but as soon as she no- 
ticed in any one the least symptom of illness she came 
to her, advised her to go to bed, made the bed for her 
with her own hand, saw that the physician was instantly 
summoned, and rendered her every assistance that lay 
in her power. She then waited with constancy by her 
bedside, and could scarcely be persuaded to leave it; she 
administered her medicine to her, sympathized with her, 
comforted her with sweet and tender words, and encou- 
raged her to patience by reminding her of the passion of 
Jesus Christ and the example of the Saints, as well as of the 
greatness of the reward which God has in store for those 
who bear their sufferings patiently. In the excess of her 
charity she would have willingly taken upon herself the 
disease that she might thereby relieve the sick person. No 
matter how humble or revolting the services required by 


St. Clare s Love of her Neighbor. 79 

the sick were, the saint was only delighted to render them, 
and she performed all with the utmost attention and ex- 
actness. When she was forced by sickness to remain in 
bed herself, she did not on that account neglect others 
who were sick, but made continual inquiries about them, 
provided for their wants by anticipation, and sent them 
by messengers words of encouragement and consolation. 
During a long and painful illness which Sister Illuminata 
lay under, our Saint had an excellent opportunity of ex- 
ercising her great charity; for, in addition to the un- 
wearied attention which she paid the sick Sister, she 
oftentimes caught her up in her arms to help her to move, 
as her disease required. And when Illuminata, astonished 
at the condescension of the Abbess, said to her that such 
an occupation was not in keeping with her high position, 
the Saint replied with tenderness that it was emi- 
nently fitting that mothers should carry their children. 
Another Sister, by name Vannola, was stricken with a 
worse and more offensive disease. The Sisters that 
waited on her found the greatest difficulty in remaining 
near her on account of the nausea caused them by the 
corrupt matter which she was continually spitting up. 
But Clare, notwithstanding that her stomach was very 
weak, found in her charity strength sufficient to enable 
her to overcome all repugnance and wait on the sick Sis- 
ter, giving her every attention, and sitting at her bedside 
to administer words of consolation. 

But Clare’s charity was too great to be confined within 
the limits of the cloister. To give an instance or two. 
She had heard that a poor but respectable girl of the 
neighborhood, by name Fioruccia, had been severely 
beaten by some dissolute young men, so that her face 
was all disfigured. On hearing this the Saint was so 
moved that she determined to do what she could for the 
poor girl, and immediately despatched two lay Sisters to 
see her, giving them orders to render her every assistance 
in their power, and to entreat her for the love of God to 


80 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

pardon those who had injured her, and to tell her to give 
herself no trouble about other matters. She then took 
upon herself the care of providing her with food and the 
necessary remedies for her injuries. Her actions far sur- 
passed her promises, so that as soon as the sick girl was 
able to walk she betook herself to the convent in order 
to thank her distinguished benefactress. The Saint her- 
self went to the door, and at the sight of the poor girl 
who had been so badly injured and disfigured she could 
not restrain her emotion, but kissed her wounded hands 
over and over again; then, addressing herself to God, 
she cried out: “ O Lord, if it be pleasing to Thee, take 
these wounds from this poor girl, and give them to me 
who have deserved them so much more.” She then 
turned to Fioruccia and said: “ Have patience, my 
daughter, and give thanks to God, who has restored you 
your health and preserved your virtue intact; trust in 
Him, and He will ever be to you a kind Father and will 
give you a rich reward in paradise.” 

Again, a woman named Clare of Cavallarawas covered 
with a most disgusting leprosy, a disease not uncommon 
in European countries in those times, having been 
brought thither from the East by the returning Crusad- 
ers. This unfortunate could find no one to approach or 
relieve her till she met Clare. She took upon herself 
the care of this poor creature, and supplied her with 
food and other necessaries. She invited her to come 
and see her every day at the convent-gate. There, on 
bended knees, the Saint carried with her own hands the 
food to the mouth of the leprous woman, and encouraged 
her to patience with the most consoling words. Many 
other women, who were afflicted with the same terrible 
disease, found help and consolation in the tender heart, 
the ready hand, and the heroic charity of St. Clare. 

Those who suffered from other misfortunes besides 
sickness were likewise the object of Clare’s charity. 
Thus on one occasion an unfortunate maiden of Monte- 


St. Clares Love of her Neighbor. 81 

falco came to the Saint, as to the common consoler of 
the afflicted, to explain to her the sad plight in which 
her father and her entire family were placed. The vice- 
governor of the duchy, having been bribed with money, 
had unjustly condemned this girl’s father to pay a fine 
of a thousand lire, and had, moreover, ordered him and 
his entire family to go into exile from out the territory. 
At the recital of this misfortune which plunged a whole 
family into misery the Saint was deeply moved, and 
promised the unhappy girl to do what she could in the 
matter, recommending her in the mean time to put her 
trust in God and not to lose courage. When the girl had 
gone away the Saint threw herself at the foot of the 
crucifix and prayed, with that strong faith to which 
nothing is refused, that her dear Lord would deign to 
look with eyes of pity on that wretched family. She 
then wrote in their favor to Cardinal Orsini, the legate 
of the province, and requested him to issue an order for 
a review of the case, at the same time exposing with 
clearness the grounds on which she based her request. 
Her petition was granted; a new trial was ordered, and 
the innocence of the injured party clearly established. 
The sentence was accordingly revoked, and succeeded 
by one more just; namely, the deposition from office of 
the unworthy judge. 

But if St. Clare interested herself so much in the 
maladies of the body and other misfortunes of this life, 
which, after all, are but passing trials, what must have 
been her ardor in providing for the spiritual wants and 
infirmities of her neighbor, in rescuing souls from those 
dire torments that shall never have an end? To bring 
back souls from vice to virtue, from the state of sin to 
the state of grace, is the noblest work of charity. It was 
for this that the Son of God came upon earth and endured 
the most frightful tortures, nay, eveji the death of the 
cross; it was for this that the first preachers of the 
Gospel exposed themselves to every peril and gave up 


82 


Life oj St. Clare of Montefalco . 


their lives amidst the most excruciating agony; for this, 
too, Clare burned with a holy zeal, and would have will- 
ingly given up her life in the sacred cause. It was a 
source of the deepest grief to her that her sex and state 
hindered her from going forth in public and preaching 
to sinners the gospel of repentance; but her charity 
sought out other means, not unsuited to her state and 
well calculated to gain the proposed end. 

On hearing of any scandal she had immediate recourse 
to the pastor, or to preachers, or to other pious persons, 
and entreated them to employ every means in their 
power for the amendment of the person concerned. But 
the exhortations which she gave at the grating of the 
convent were even more effective in preventing sin; for 
they were prepared in the spirit of prayer, animated by 
the sweet and powerful eloquence of her charity, and 
wonderfully strengthened by the just reputation she bore 
for sanctity. But her prayers were the most powerful 
means which she employed to this end. She implored 
the mercy of God in sighs and tears, conjured Him, im- 
portuned Him. Knowing that the conversion of some 
sinners is as difficult a work as the raising of Lazarus 
from the dead, for which the Saviour Himself prayed, 
she, too, sighed and groaned, and added her prayers to 
her tears, and united to both the prayers of her religious, 
till she at length obtained her request. It was exactly 
by virtue of these prayers that St. Clare obtained the 
conversion of a certain judge who was at that time living 
in Montefalco, and who was sunk in the depths of vice, 
being utterly oblivious both of God and eternity. So 
powerful was the effect of her prayers in the case of this 
man, that not only did he renounce his evil ways, but he 
bade farewell to the world and took the religious habit 
in the Order of St. Francis to do penance for his sins. 
The same was done by a certain Corraduccio, brother of 
Sister Frances of Foligno, one of the Saint’s companions. 
This man led a wicked and scandalous life, and his sister 


Si. Clare s Love of her Neighbor. 83 

was greatly grieved thereat. Knowing the great sanctity 
of her Abbess, she begged her to recommend him to the 
Lord that He might enlighten him and move his heart. 
This was sufficient to move St. Clare to have recourse to 
prayer, for the interests of an immortal soul were at 
stake. The first result of her prayer was that Corra- 
duccio, through a stroke of divine mercy, had such a 
severe attack of sickness that the physicians entirely 
despaired of his recovery. When his sister Frances 
heard of his illness, she sent him two pomegranates from 
a tree which St. Clare had planted with her own hand, 
and told him to be of good heart, for he would be soon 
cured through the prayers of the Saint, but reminded 
him to be sure and come see the Abbess as soon as 
he was able. He finally obtained health both of soul 
and body, and came to see his sister and St. Clare. The 
latter was especially rejoiced in seeing the change worked 
in him, and gave thanks to God for this additional proof 
of His great mercy. She infused by her earnest words 
such a love of virtue into the heart of the converted 
youth, that he immediately entered into the Order of 
Friars Minor to do penance for his sins. Another bro- 
ther of Sister Frances, by name Rudolph, who was ad- 
dicted to gambling, and was likewise proud and irritable, 
abandoned the path of vice as soon as St. Clare prayed 
for him at his sister’s request. We read, likewise, of a 
wicked youth of Spoleto who was converted by the 
prayers and admonitions of the Saint and entered a re- 
ligious Order. But the following fact will show with still 
greater clearness the strength and energy of that love for 
the salvation of souls with which the Saint was animated. 
There came one day to the gratingof the convent a man 
who was deeply sunk in sin and vice, and who, in a con- 
versation with Clare, discovered to her the deplorable 
state of his soul. He added, however, that it was not his 
intention to change his life at present, but only after some 
years; still he wished to recommend himself to her pious 


84 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

prayers. When the Saint heard this strange and obsti- 
nate declaration she was deeply moved, and brought all 
her eloquence, nay, even her tears, to bear upon him, 
that she might render his heart susceptible of Divine 
grace and turn him to God. But the man’s heart was 
hardened, and it could not be softened by her entreaties. 
The man departed, and Clare threw herself at the foot 
of the crucifix and told her Lord, amid sighs and tears, 
that she desired the speedy conversion of that unhappy 
man at any cost. Although she felt herself driven, as by 
an unseen power, from the place of prayer, she still per- 
severed in imploring the divine mercy. She again felt 
the same mysterious force impelling her to desist from 
prayer, as though it were vain to pray for one abandoned 
by God. But Clare was determined to overcome by a 
holy violence the angered justice of God. She accord- 
ingly prayed, in order to appease the divine wrath, that 
the Lord would be pleased to visit upon her the punish- 
ments which that sinner’s crimes deserved, but that He 
would at the same time touch his heart and grant him 
the grace of conversion. The Lord could not refuse to 
accept this heroic sacrifice, and the Saint gained a com- 
plete triumph in winning that obstinate soul to virtue 
and grace. 

The Saint’s charity not only reconciled individuals to 
one another and to God, it even settled the disputes of 
provinces. The inhabitants of Trevi and those of Mon- 
tefalco were greatly excited over some question of terri- 
tory, and resolved to settle the dispute by an appeal to 
arms. Some women seeing these ominous preparations 
hastened to acquaint the Saint and recommend them- 
selves and their families to her powerful prayers. She 
needed no other inducement. She instantly assembled 
her religious in the oratory and commenced to pray; and 
she persevered in prayer with her religious till the wel- 
come news arrived that the contending parties had been 
reconciled without bloodshed and the armed forces had 


St. Clare s Love of her Enemies . 85 

retired. On another occasion some troops from Rieti 
found themselves besieged in the castle of Arrone by the 
combined forces of the Perugians and the inhabitants of 
Spoleto, and reduced to such straits that they gave them- 
selves up for lost. St. Clare was informed of their mis- 
fortune, and hastened to their relief with her charity and 
her prayers. Her intercession was not in vain; for peace 
was soon re-established without further damage. The 
city of Arezzo, too, experienced the powerful influence 
of her intercession with God. The Saint heard that this 
city, in which Cardinal Orsini, legate of Umbria, was re- 
siding, had been besieged by an army of Florentines. 
This news was sufficient to make her have recourse in 
supplication to the God of armies, and beg, with that 
confidence which had never been misplaced, that He 
would take pity on His distressed servants. The imme- 
diate consequence of her prayers was the miraculous re- 
tirement of the besieging force. Nor were private per- 
sons less influenced at that time by feelings of hatred 
and revenge; but Montefalco had the good fortune to pos- 
sess just then a powerful and earnest intercessor, through 
whose means deadly hate was often extinguished and 
bitter enmity stilled. In short, Clare was all to all, and 
would have imitated the Apostle gladly by becoming 
anathema out of love for her brethren. Such is the 
charity of the saints. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

St. Clare’s Love of her Enemies. 

HE proud philosophy of the world has endeav- 
ored to convince mankind with specious ar- 
guments that it is right to pardon one’s ene- 
mies; but it was reserved for the humble 
wisdom taught by the God-Man to prove this by con- 
vincing reasons, namely, the argument of example. But 



86 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

Christianity goes further, and commands us not merely 
to forgive our enemies, but to love them; to do good to 
them that hate, calumniate, and persecute us. Clare, 
who read no other book than that of the crucifix, had a 
larger practical knowledge of duty than could be ob- 
tained from the barren theories of philosophers. It is 
the height of folly to expect to overcome a blind and 
furious passion like revenge, especially when it is nour- 
ished and sustained by self-interest, jealousy, anger, 
pride, and a false idea of honor, unless one is furnished 
with the arms of Christian charity and divine grace. 
This is still truer when there is question not merely of 
forgiving, but even of treating with love and kindness, 
him who is plotting our ruin. From what has been said 
already we can form some idea of the heroic charity of 
Clare, and what we have yet to say will serve to set this 
virtue of the Saint in still clearer light. In her great char- 
ity she might well cry out with the Apostle, that neither 
perils, nor persecution, nor the sword could ever sepa- 
rate her from that invincible love which is in Christ 
Jesus. In point of fact, a soul which had so earnestly 
resolved to reproduce faithfully in itself the image of its 
crucified Lord, the most persecuted of all the children of 
men; a soul which had borne for long years with un- 
conquered patience, and was even yet bearing the fierce 
fire of interior persecution, the awful assaults made upon 
it by the powers of darkness — such a soul could not be 
so cowardly as to give way to the feeble annoyances 
caused by men or by the passing trials of life. It must, on 
the contrary, have been strong enough to love those for 
whom its heavenly Bridegroom prayed, suffered, and died. 
Our divine Redeemer was not content with suffering and 
dying that He might attract all hearts unto Himself; He 
was not content with traversing Judea from one end to 
the other during the latter years of His life, healing the 
sick and doing good to all; nor were His followers, the 
Saints, content with like manifestations of benevolence, 


St. Clare s Love of her Enemies. 87 

and especially our Saint, who longed, moreover, to imi- 
tate her Redeemer in forgiving and loving her enemies. 
Let us give one or two proofs of what we say. But, un- 
fortunately, we live in a time when we must either keep 
the truth in the background and pass over facts in si- 
lence, or else expose to the scoffs and sneers of the world 
the choicest portion of the flock of Jesus Christ. If con- 
vincing proof of Clare’s sanctity be adduced, the world 
will say, but always in the singular number, “ Clare was 
a holy religious.” But if a single religious of either sex 
happen to commit a fault, the logic of the world changes, 
and, instead of fastening the blame on the individual, 
they draw a general inference from a particular case, 
and wickedly say, “ See, such are monks and nuns.” The 
Apostle Judas betrayed his divine Master, and it would 
be equally valid logic to point to the remaining eleven 
and say, “See, such are the Apostles.” We must expect 
to find even in the cloister, to a greater or less degree, 
the weaknesses of human nature. God allows unworthy 
persons at times to find ingress into religious communi- 
ties that others may be exercised in the practice of vir- 
tue. The life of St. Clare gives proof of this. 

A certain religious, who in changing his dress had not 
changed his evil ways, conceived so decided a dislike for 
the nuns of the Holy Cross convent that he came one 
day to their house, urged on by his evil impulse, and 
gave vent to his hatred of them in the coarsest language. 
St. Clare, ever firm in her evangelical mildness, calmly 
endeavored to disabuse him of the unfavorable opinion 
he had formed of her religious family, and to recall him to 
the ways of Christian charity. But on this occasion she 
had no success in calming his fury; on the contrary, she 
was compelled to listen to still more infamous calumnies, 
which he afterwards spread around in the neighbor- 
hood. The Saint was deeply pained at finding the char- 
acter of her good religious thus assailed, but she was 
grieved still more by the sin of the malicious calumni- 


88 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

ator. But, on the other hand, she rejoiced at the oppor- 
tunity afforded her of imitating her divine Redeemer by 
pardoning her enemy and thus making Him some return 
for His extraordinary love. It happened shortly after 
that this man fell sick, and Clare returned good for evil 
by preparing food for him with her own hand and mak- 
ing frequent inquiries concerning him. 

There was, likewise, a nun, belonging to a convent 
in Montefalco which no longer exists, who strove to 
bring the Saint and her religious into bad repute. This 
she did, either through jealousy of the high character 
enjoyed by Clare and her nuns, or through envy of the 
abundant alms which they received. Here, too, the 
charity of Clare shone forth in the brightest colors; for 
her only thought was to revenge herself on this unfortu- 
nate religious by showing her still greater kindness and 
affection. She sent alms frequently to the convent in 
which her slanderer lived, and moved others to do the 
same. It was still further noticed that, when she re- 
ceived any considerable donation, her first act was to set 
apart the greater portion of it for that same convent. 
She adopted this means of conveying salutary instruc- 
tion to her rival. 

Some time before this, about the first year in which 
she held office, our Saint had to undergo another and 
still more undeserved persecution. The daughter of a 
certain physician of Montefalco had been received into 
her convent, and was there at this time under the name 
of Sister Catherine. Her two brothers, Pucciarello and 
Thomas, had not given their consent to her entrance into 
the convent, and were consequently greatly angered with 
St. Clare. Their anger was very unreasonable, for noth- 
ing should be more free than the choice of a state of life. 
Every opposition, therefore, made to one in a matter of 
this kind is an evident injustice, which is all the more 
flagrant when the state chosen is so exalted as that of a 
religious. But the wicked know no reasons save those 


St. Clares Love of her Enemies. 89 

of the passion which sways them. These two brothers 
formed a plot with some other youths as reckless as them- 
selves, went to the convent, scaled the walls, and entered 
by force into that asylum of piety, tranquillity, and si- 
lence. Their entrance threw the good religious into a 
state of consternation, which was heightened by their 
sacrilegious conduct and blasphemous language, and by 
their savage threats to burn down the convent and put 
the inmates to death. As lambs pursued by wolves 
gather round the shepherd, even so did these holy vir- 
gins run to the side of Clare, their Mother, and trembling- 
ly implore the protection of Heaven. The Saint, strong 
in her confidence in God, alone remained unmoved, and 
encouraged the others by her heroic example and her in- 
spiriting words. “Fear not men,” said she, “for Al- 
mighty God is watching over us and guarding us.” She 
then appeared before the intruders, and her presence im- 
mediately overawed them, and they retired without 
doing further damage. When the report of the outrage 
had spread abroad, many persons of the town urged the 
Saint to institute legal proceedings against the guilty 
parties; but it was to no purpose. Clare’s principles 
were quite other than those of revenge; her maxims 
were to pardon her enemies, to pray for her persecutors, 
and to do good to those that did her evil. She entered 
no complaint against these misguided young men, but 
recommended them to the Lord with all the fervor of 
her charity, and never ceased to pray for them as long 
as they lived, nor even after their death, as we shall see 
later on. The leading object of her solicitude was the 
salvation of their souls, but her charity extended even to 
the health of their bodies; for, during the illness both of 
Thomas and Pucciarello, the instigators of the sacrile- 
gious outrage, she prepared many delicacies for them 
with her own hand, and had them conveyed to them by 
a reliable member of her community, Sister Hildebranda. 
Some time after, a certain Stephen, a notary public in 


90 Life of St . Clare of Montefalco . 

Montefalco, acquired a like unenviable notoriety by his 
unjust persecution of the Saint and her convent. This 
man had in his possession some important documents 
belonging to the convent of the Holy Cross, and the nuns 
being in need of them asked him several times to give 
them up. He, intent on some evil design, constantly put 
them off. At length, emboldened by the very mildness 
of the religious, he not merely refused the papers, but 
passed to insolence and insult, and went so far as to de- 
clare that he would persecute them as long as he lived. 
He said that he would enter a charge before Pope Boni- 
face VII. against Clare of being friendly towards the 
Colonnas, who were at that time the determined oppo- 
nents of the Pope. The Saint was not in the least dis- 
turbed by these threats, because, conscious of her inno- 
cence, she knew she might rely on the protection of 
Almighty God. The culpable blindness of the wretched 
man pained her more than any injury he could do either 
herself or her community. She accordingly, as she was 
wont to do in such cases, determined to pray for him 
that God might give him the grace of repentance and 
pardon him. Whilst she was in prayer the Lord re- 
vealed to her that this Stephen was likewise a forger, 
and that his crimes would soon be discovered and he 
would be condemned. The prediction was speedily ful- 
filled, for he was shortly after accused of forgery, con- 
victed, and sentenced to lose his hand. But could St. 
Clare, who, like the Apostle, was all to all, and who 
seemed to give the preference in her affections to her 
enemies, allow one of these to meet with so great mis- 
fortune without striving to avert it ? As she had noth- 
ing to hope for from men, she had recourse to God her- 
self, and made her Sisters likewise pray. To the great 
astonishment of every one, word came shortly after that 
the guilty man had been pardoned; a circumstance 
which could be attributed to nothing else save to the 
efficacious prayers of Clare, who had interceded for him 


The Cardinal Virtues of St. Clare . 91 

so earnestly with the sovereign Lord of human hearts 
and human destinies. These are a few of the many in- 
stances of Clare’s extraordinary charity; and he who is 
not moved by them must be something less than human. 
It is in this way that the holy followers of Jesus Christ 
conquer their enemies. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Cardinal Virtues of St. Clare. 

HE EDIFICE of Christian perfection is sup 
ported by four pillars, which are the four car- 
dinal virtues; and these virtues have but one 
foundation, which is charity. Such is the 
teaching of the great Augustine and the other Fathers of 
the Church. In point of fact, prudence is nothing more 
than the industry with which charity selects those things 
that are exactly calculated to foment and nourish it, and 
rejects the contrary. Justice is the right government of 
charity itself, which gives to God and man, who are its ob- 
jects, whatever is due them. Fortitude is nothing else 
than the strength of charity in enduring every evil rather 
than be separated from God, its sovereign end. Lastly, 
temperance is the moderator of those pleasures which as- 
pire to a dominion over charity, or, in other words, it is 
charity itself guarding the integrity of its rights. He, 
then, who has not charity can have only imperfect vir- 
tues, which are not worthy of eternal life. He cannot have 
the cardinal virtues, for these, as we have seen, spring 
from charity as from their source; nor can he have any 
others, because all others are subordinate to the four 
cardinal virtues. On the contrary, he who has this fer- 
tile principle of all virtue, charity, has all the other vir- 
tues in proportion. We have already seen in the three 
preceding chapters, in fact in all the preceding, how great 
was the charity of St. Clare; and we shall see from what 


92 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

follows that the remainder of her life was one continuous 
act of generous love which was ever growing in intensi- 
ty. It therefore follows that she must have been rich in 
all the other virtues, both the cardinal virtues and those 
that depend on them. 

We showed in a preceding chapter what admirable 
prudence she displayed in the government of her reli- 
gious family, noticing the skill with which she guided 
her religious along the path of virtue, maintained peace 
among them, and nurtured in their hearts a love for pen- 
ance, prayer, and regular observance, so that her little 
convent was like a mystic garden in which every virtue 
bloomed. We observed still further how the same 
virtue shone forth in her conduct amidst the many trials 
she had to undergo, and especially during the eleven 
years of her struggle with temptation, as well as in her 
dealings with the hypocritical heretics of the time. We 
need not wonder that her prudence was so great when 
we reflect that God, in reward for her great charity, was 
pleased to bestow on her those precious gifts of the Holy 
Ghost, wisdom, counsel, and understanding, as we shall 
see later on. By her foresight, her diligence, her docil- 
ity to advice, her circumspection, her extreme caution 
and solicitude, she showed how deeply prudence, which 
is the necessary accompaniment of every virtue, had 
struck its roots into her heart. 

Her justice was in nowise inferior to her prudence. 
For how could the heroic love of St. Clare both for God 
and her neighbor be reconciled with even the faintest 
shadow of injustice towards one or the other ? Could 
she love God as ardently as she did and at the same time 
refuse to Him the love, gratitude, and adoration to which 
He is so justly entitled ? Could she love her neighbor 
in the manner we have described and at the same time 
be guilty of violating his rights in any way whatsoever? 
We would deem it an injury to that character for sancti- 
ty, which Clare acquired from her tenderest years and 


The Cardinal Virtues of St. Clare. 93 

maintained to her latest breath, if we endeavored to 
prove at greater length her deep and ever-abiding sense 
of justice. Suffice it to say that her sense of this obliga- 
tion was so keen that she entirely forgot herself and 
consecrated every faculty of her soul and body, every 
instant of her life, to the fulfilment of the duties which 
she owed to God and her neighbor. It was her sense of 
justice that made her observe so minutely the precepts 
of the Gospel and of the Church, the ordinances of her 
Rule, and the commands of her superiors; it was it that 
made her prompt and blind in her obedience; it was it 
that made her a model of gentleness, affability, liberality, 
and friendliness; and it was it that made her act con- 
trary to the inclinations of her heart in punishing with 
rigor all violations of rule in her subjects, though the 
spirit of penance and self-denial made her doubly rigor- 
ous in punishing any faults she noticed in herself. 

The third cardinal virtue, which is fortitude, was 
equally conspicuous in the conduct of the Saint. This 
is a virtue which the world highly prizes — an inference 
that may be drawn from the fact that the ancient Romans 
named it the virtue by excellence, virtus , as though it 
alone were worthy of man. Fortitude is the support of 
justice and of every other virtue; it combats for them, de- 
fends them, endures every evil, hunger, thirst, calumnies, 
persecutions, nay, even sacrifices life itself, rather than 
abandon the path of righteousness. We have already 
seen this virtue manifested by Clare in her long and pa- 
tient combat with the powers of darkness, in the magna- 
nimity with which she pardoned her enemies, and in the 
extraordinary kindness which she showed to those very 
persons who were impiously conspiring against herself 
and her beloved religious. Nevertheless, it will not be out 
of place if we adduce one or two other instances of the 
Saint’s heroic fortitude. Evil-minded persons often spoke 
of herself and her religious as being idle, restless, and 
hypocritical, and succeeded by this means in bringing 


94 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

their character into discredit and injuring them in the 
estimation of some of their benefactors to the extent of 
materially diminishing their revenue. Clare, however, 
was not at all annoyed at this; on the contrary, she 
was just as joyful and contented in these adverse 
circumstances as she had previously been when Divine 
Goodness favored her with prosperity. But God, who 
thus allowed His servant to suffer, was likewise careful 
to reward her. He bestowed upon her interior consola- 
tion, and likewise gave her, especially in the latter years 
of her life, many sensible proofs of His protection. Her 
sanctity soon succeeded in scattering the clouds of cal- 
umny and obtained for her abundant alms. Of these she 
made a holy use, as we have already remarked, for she 
bestowed the greater portion of them on the needy. 
Nevertheless, even in this her calumniators found ma- 
terial for their false reports. Clare was of a very deli- 
cate constitution, and frequently suffered from ill-health. 
On this account her relatives and friends sent her 
from time to time various little delicacies. Although 
the Saint almost invariably distributed these to others, 
nevertheless malevolent persons took advantage of the 
fact that she received them and spread abroad the report 
that she was gluttonous. When these persons met any 
one belonging to the convent they mockingly inquired, 
“What delicacies did your Saint have for meals to-day?” 
These calumnies reached Clare’s ears, and one of the 
nuns suggested to her that it would be well, for the sake 
of her own reputation and the holy habit she wore, to 
put a stop to these malicious reports by showing the 
charitable use made of what was given her. But Clare 
paid no heed to the suggestion. In her greatness of soul 
she followed the example of Jesus Christ and opened not 
her mouth, preferring to become, like Him, “ the reproach 
of men and the outcast of the people.” She bore all her 
infirmities, and they were many and severe, with that 
patience and resignation which befitted a spouse of the 


The Cardinal Virtues of St. Clare. 95 

Crucified. On one occasion when her nuns, pitying her 
sad state, counselled her to pray for her health, she made 
answer: “Far be it from me to pray for health ! I glory 
in my infirmities; for the soul gains strength in propor- 
tion as the body grows weak; besides, my sins merit 
still greater punishment.” Our Saint displayed the same 
invincible courage on the trying occasion of the death of 
her parents. Her father, Damian, died whilst Johanna, 
his other daughter, was still living and engaged in 
founding the second hermitage, a work to which he ma- 
terially contributed. Giacoma, their mother, took the 
religious habit in the convent of the Holy Cross after her 
husband's death, and died there at a time when Clare 
was most in need of her help. Vanillo, her cousin, like- 
wise died in Rome at the very time when he was engaged 
in transacting affairs of the highest importance to the 
convent. These losses might well be expected to have 
disturbed the calmness of Clare’s soul. But no; she 
never lost her peace of mind, for her lively faith taught 
her that death had been decreed by God as the penalty 
of sin. She knew, further, that God’s ways are always 
just, and that He gives life and death in accordance with 
His wise plans, demanding ever from His creatures 
patience and submission. In short, she was the valiant 
woman spoken of in the Book of Proverbs whose fame 
reached even unto the farthest bounds of earth. 

It remains for us now to speak only of the last of the 
cardinal virtues, temperance. But, after the enumera- 
tion of her rigorous penances, her scourgings and hair- 
cloths, her fasting, silence, and retirement, in fact, her 
universal self-abnegation, it would be superfluous to in- 
quire further concerning the greatness and excellence of 
the Saint’s temperance. We wish, however, to make one 
remark with reference to this matter. Temperance, 
when joined to the rigors of penance, may appear cold 
and repulsive; but in the saints, and especially in our 
Saint, it presents quite a different appearance. True 


g6 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

temperance, such as Clare’s was, is as mild and indul* 
gent towards others as it is severe with self. Gentleness, 
humility, modesty, and clemency invariably accompany 
it; and such were the qualities that distinguished this 
virtue in Clare, and shone forth in her language, her 
countenance, and her whole conduct. To sum up, she 
possessed all the cardinal virtues in a high degree be- 
cause she possessed charity in a high degree. 


CHAPTER XV. 



The Life of Penance led by St. Clare. 

]HE VIRTUE of penance is as much esteemed 
by the saints as it is abhorred by the world. 
In fact, the holy ones of God have been at all 
times distinguished for this virtue. Thus, the 
prophets of the Old Law led a most austere life; and 
the Precursor John, the last of them, practised all the 
rigors of penance amidst the solitude of the desert. The 
great Consummator of the old and new dispensations, 
the incarnate Son of God, did penance for our sins; and 
His Apostles and disciples, and after them all the saints, 
not even excepting those who never lost their baptismal 
innocence, practised the same virtue. St. Clare was no 
exception to this rule ; for not only did she practise 
penance, but she practised it in all its rigor. She was 
prompted to this by three motives. In the first place, 
she wished to check the rebellion of the senses and bring 
them under subjection to reason and faith; secondly, she 
wished to punish in herself every fault, however slight, 
because to the pure eye of her sanctity there was no 
stain, no fault, that appeared slight ; and lastly, she 
wished to imitate the Man of Sorrows, Jesus, who suf- 
fered so much for her and for the world’s redemption. 
It excites astonishment and seems at first sight incredi- 
ble that a delicate virgin, who was subject to such fre- 


The Life of Penance led by St. Clare. 97 

quent attacks of sickness, could bear the burden of such 
austerity. We have already remarked that from her 
childhood she had formed the resolution to observe a 
perpetual abstinence from every kind of meat. This 
resolution she kept throughout her life with the excep- 
tion of great feasts, when she ate a little to satisfy her 
religious, and in times of sickness, when she ate it through 
obedience both to her physician and her confessor. Her 
bread was of barley or rye, or a mixture of both; and 
she took with it as a relish some wild apples, vine-leaves, 
or raw herbs according to the season. On this coarse 
vegetable food she lived the entire day; and if at times 
she took beans, whether dry or steeped in water, she re- 
garded them as a luxury, and by consequence superflu- 
ous. She had charged her brother, Father Francis, with 
providing these herbs and wild apples for her, and he, 
not knowing the purpose for which she intended them, 
was not very particular as to whether the herbs were in- 
sipid or the apples bitter; but this exactly suited the 
penitential spirit of the Saint. Sister Illuminata, too, 
discharged the same office whenever she went out. But 
she, understanding matters better, brought her garden- 
vegetables and more select fruit. This displeased Clare; 
and she consequently begged the Sister to bring her the 
herbs of the field and either wild apples or those that 
had fallen from the orchard-trees. She abstained from 
wine altogether. But as she advanced in years, she 
suffered greatly from her stomach, and was obliged to 
use wine and cooked food by order of her physician. In 
obedience to this command, she was wont on Sundays 
to fill with wine a wooden vessel which contained about 
a pint; she then diluted it with water, so that it lasted 
her the whole week. As regards the cooked food, it 
consisted of soup made from vegetables or herbs, with- 
out seasoning and generally without salt, and not sel- 
dom mixed with cold water, so as to make it entirely un- 
alatable. But this in her estimation was not fasting. 


98 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

As regards this precept, her invariable rule was to eat 
only once a day; and on certain important days she 
tasted no food at all. It would be difficult to enumerate 
the many days on which she fasted throughout the year. 
Besides observing the fasts commanded by holy Church, 
and the fast of Advent proper to the Order of St. Augus- 
tine, from All-Souls’ Day to Christmas, she likewise 
fasted on all the Fridays and Saturdays of the year; on 
the vigils of all the feasts of Our Lady; on those of both 
feasts of the Holy Cross, of holy Father Augustine, St. 
Catherine of Alexandria, St. Francis of Assisi, and many 
other saints. In a word, the greater portion of the year 
was for her a continual fast. 

As regards her clothing, although the rule of St. 
Augustine permits the use of shoes, she never wore 
them, but, in her eagerness to suffer, went barefoot the 
whole year, except when forbidden to do so by her phy- 
sician. She wore neither linen nor hempen garments, 
being content with a single habit of coarse woollen stuff. 
In winter she wore beneath her habit a garment woven 
from horse-hair, which in those times was called a pelen - 
goto; and in summer a coarse hair-shirt, the inside of 
which was thickly lined with rough bristles. 

Her bed consisted of two naked boards. Yet it was 
seldom that she lay even on this; for her sleep, always 
sparing and broken, was usually taken on the bare pave- 
ment, either kneeling or sitting with her head leaning 
against the wall, or resting on a block of wood of the 
shape of a cross which she kept in her cell. It was only 
in severe attacks of sickness that she slept, by order of 
her physician, on a straw-mattress, with a coarse quilt for 
covering. Such were the sensible comforts of Clare’s 
life. 

But her spirit of penance was displayed still more in 
the bloody discipline with which she was wont to tor- 
ture her innocent flesh. The bundle of nettles which 
she sometimes used was nothing in comparison to the 


The Life of Penance led by St. Clare. 99 

knotty cords with which she scourged herself every 
night even unto blood. It was her wont to increase this 
punishment on stated days or in proportion to her zeal. 
Her religious were astonished and afflicted at her fright- 
ful austerities, the effects of which she could not alto- 
gether conceal, and feared that by them she would 
shorten her days. They consequently begged her with 
tears and entreaties that she would moderate them, and 
preserve herself for the service of God and the good of 
the convent. The Saint made answer to their request: 
“My dear Sisters, your advice and your tears show that 
you bear towards me a love of which I am wholly unworthy. 
Allow me to weep over my miseries and sins, and know 
that, notwithstanding all my penance, I have not yet 
learned to subdue my senses. If you have not strength 
to do what I do, at least do what you can that you may 
keep yourselves pure in the eyes of God. For the rest, 
I know that my body deserves no better treatment; if I 
could, I would gladly feed it with straw.” The religious 
were mistaken in thinking that Clare’s austerities in- 
jured her health; for as soon as she recovered from her 
sickness and resumed her penance, she looked as strong 
and healthy as though she had been using the best of 
food. As she was out walking one day, she met a 
maiden of Montefalco, named Bernardola di Moricone, 
and said to her: “Would you like to enter our con- 
vent ?” Bernardola made answer : “ I would not think 

of such a thing, for I could never live on herbs as you 
do.” Thereupon Clare remarked: “ You see, neverthe- 
less, that I am fatter and have a healthier color than 
you.” It may be, as some would have it, that God pre- 
served her health by a miracle; but it is nevertheless 
true, and facts prove it, that mortification, though severe, 
is not injurious to health and does not tend to shorten 
man’s life. To be convinced of this it is sufficient to 
cast a glance at the great age attained by the ancient 
Fathers of the desert and by. innumerable other saints, 


ioo Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

all of whom were remarkable for the austerity of their 
lives. The very Order to which the Saint belonged fur- 
nishes us with two examples of this, both contemporaries 
of the Saint and living in the same climate. The one, 
St. Nicholas of Tolentine, who was a very martyr of 
penance, reached a good old age; and the other, Blessed 
Gregory of Verucchio, who was likewise distinguished 
for his austerities, reached the extraordinary age of 118 
years — an age seldom or never attained by those who lead 
a life of luxury and indulgence. But the world does not 
and will not understand the wisdom of the saints. In 
order not to cause inconvenience to the flesh it either 
renounces the joys of heaven which are acquired by 
penance, or else practises very slight mortifications, be- 
ing content with a small degree of glory. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

The Zeal of St. Clare in the Observance of her Monastic 
Vows. 

HRISTIAN penance, of which we have just 
been speaking, may be practised in many and 
various ways; but its noblest and most meri- 
torious exercise consists in the observance of 
evangelical poverty, virginal continence, and religious 
obedience. Other penitential works serve, it is true, to 
expiate the punishment due to sin, and often act as pre- 
servatives of the virtues just mentioned; but it is the 
three vows that tear up every evil passion by the roots, 
remove every obstacle to salvation, and lead man straight- 
way to the goal of Christian perfection. It is certain 
that every passion, every vice, may be finally reduced to 
pride, covetousness, or sensuality; but it is equally cer- 
tain that obedience, poverty, and chastity give the death- 
blow to these three capital passions which are the fruit- 
ful source of so many evi&; It is in this that the perfec- 



St. Clares Observance of her Vows. ioi 

tion of the evangelical counsels consists; it is to this end 
that all the holy founders of Religious Orders have ever 
looked; and what has been thus far said is more than 
sufficient to convince us that St. Clare kept the same 
point steadily in view. It is useless to remind our read- 
ers of what we said before concerning her obedience to 
her parents as a child in her father’s house, for this is 
something trivial compared with the heroic degree in 
which she afterwards practised this virtue. We would 
remind them, however, of what we have said about her 
obedience, when at the age of six years she entered into 
the hermitage of her sister Johanna, and began to under- 
stand what religious obedience meant. She spent six- 
teen years in the two hermitages without either vows or 
rule, so that obedience had not as yet such great claims 
upon her as it afterwards had; nevertheless, such was her 
obedience during all that time that it would have been 
very difficult to find even a professed religious, who, after 
long years of practice in the ways of monastic perfection, 
could equal her in the merit of this virtue. From her 
Very childhood she put herself completely under her sis- 
ter’s guidance and did nothing of her own will. As proof 
of this we have already mentioned how Blessed Johanna 
called her at times to prayer and bade her not to rise 
until she sent her word; and how the holy child remained 
there immovable the whole day because her sister did 
not send her word to rise; and how neither youthful vi- 
vacity, nor fatigue, nor hunger, nor the advice of her 
companions, nor the thought that her sister had forgotten 
her could move her to rise, because the thought of obe- 
dience overruled all other thoughts in her mind. She 
burned with love for Jesus Christ in the holy Sacrament 
of the Altar, but her delicate obedience would not permit 
her to ask admission to that heavenly banquet. As we 
mentioned before, she was told on a sudden to approach 
the holy table: prompt obedience was her preparation. 
The Holy Communion was denied her: her obedience 


102 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

made her retire without a murmur. We have likewise 
told how eager she was for the laborious and humiliating 
task of collecting alms, partly to spare the other Sisters, 
partly to mortify herself. This was the only occasion 
that she was known to persist in seeking a favor; but no 
sooner was this forbidden her than she submitted with- 
out a remonstrance, though much grieved at losing so 
excellent an occasion of mortifying herself and increas- 
ing her merit. She meditated unceasingly on the holy 
law of God, and received in reward special graces and 
lights; but the more favors she received the greater was 
her humility. Hence it was that she was ever distrustful 
of herself and always sought security in obedience. To 
obedience she subjected her will in the performance of 
her work, and her intellect by deferring always to the 
judgment of others. Her demeanor towards the com- 
munity was that of a servant; but she acted so not from 
fear or any other worldly motive, but in the spirit of pure 
obedience and with sincere joy. She always preferred 
the outwardly expressed voice of God to those inner 
voices and inspirations concerning which it is at times 
difficult to decide whether or not they come from God. 
In the voice of her superior she always recognized the 
voice of God; and her love for Him made her all eager- 
ness to execute the commands of lawful authority. On 
the first intimation of the will of her superiors she spared 
no pains in obeying as perfectly as she could, for she 
knew that blind and prompt obedience is doubly pleas- 
ing to God. Now, if her obedience was such in her early 
years, ere yet she was bound by vow, it would be useless 
to inquire what it was after she took upon herself that 
solemn obligation. One year, however, was all that re- 
mained for her in which to give proof to her superior of 
her increased zeal in the observance of that obedience to 
which she was now bound by vow. She had to cease to 
be a subject that she might become superior; but she did 
it through obedience, and commenced to command by 


Si. Clare s Observance of her Cows. 103 

obeying. Though superior herself, there were others 
whom she was bound to obey, and towards whom she 
could practise that submission which was so dear to her. 
This she did with eagerness; for, if she obeyed so readily 
the commands of her confessor and her physician in 
matters so repugnant to her spirit of penance, we may 
well imagine how much greater must have been her sub- 
mission to those authorities which her rule commanded 
her to obey. 

As regards her poverty, a brief inventory of her worldly 
goods will best show how well she observed it. She had 
in her cell a cross, two bare boards, and a chair; and on 
the boards, which served both as a bed and a table, she 
kept a wooden pitcher, some barley-bread, and a few 
wild herbs. This was all the furniture possessed by the 
Abbess of the convent. But it was all she desired to pos- 
sess, for when she had more she gave it away to the poor. 
She was poor herself and wished, too, that her convent 
should be poor. To preserve this spirit of poverty she 
at first persuaded, afterwards commanded, her religious 
to distribute to the poor whatever remained over and 
above their wants for the day. This command was scru- 
pulously obeyed without the slightest consideration of 
the want which its fulfilment at times occasioned among 
themselves. On one occasion, when there was no bread 
in the convent, the Saint, to supply its place, gathered up 
every little scrap of flour she could find and made there- 
from with her own hand some cakes. These on being 
tasted were found so delicious that the Sisters had no 
hesitation in ascribing the fact to the direct intervention 
of divine Providence. She never asked for money for 
her convent; and when the fame of her sanctity attracted 
to her retreat high dignitaries of the Church and promi- 
nent persons of the world, she refused to accept the do- 
nations which they offered after conversing with her, 
through fear, as she said, lest it might appear that she 
set a price on her spiritual conversations. In this way 


104 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

she banished even the shadow of suspicion of self -inte- 
rest. Her unselfishness and spirit of poverty were like- 
wise noticeable in her manner of acting in the admission 
to probation of candidates for the religious habit. On 
such occasions she paid no attention either to the po- 
verty or riches of the postulants, but looked solely to 
their merit and vocation. The nuns at one time pre- 
sented to her a rich lady of the town and begged that 
she be admitted to the religious habit. Amongst other 
reasons, they alleged that through her the convent would 
receive help and protection. The Saint, after reflecting 
for some time, made answer: “This good maiden will be 
received; but the reliance you place on her parents for 
help will soon be disappointed. Of this I am glad, that 
you may learn the folly of earthly hopes.” There was a 
country maiden, named Bizzola, who frequently requested 
Sister Illuminata to help her to gain admission into their 
convent. The Sister, learning that she was very poor, 
thought she could hold out no hope to her. At the mo- 
ment that she gave this answer to the poor girl St. Clare 
happened to be engaged in prayer. She had a vision, 
in which she saw a mysterious vine transplanted into her 
convent; but she understood not its meaning till she after- 
wards heard of this ill-advised rejection of the girl by 
Illuminata. She applied the remedy on the spot, had the 
girl brought to her, and clothed her with the religious 
habit under the name of Sister Catherine. In this way 
the Saint repressed both in herself and in others that love 
for temporal goods which exercises such a powerful sway 
over men. Poverty was dearer to her than all the riches 
this world could bestow. 

It remains for us to speak of the wonderful triumphs 
won by our Saint over the third passion, sensuality. It 
was in this point that Clare showed the most extreme del- 
icacy, and carried her precautions, if such were possible, 
to excess. The rule of holy Father Augustine reminds 
religious women that they are not forbidden to look at 


St. Clare s Observance of her Vows. 105 

men, but that sin consists in indulging in unholy glances 
and impure desires. But St. Clare, who had formed 
the resolution from her very childhood never to look 
a man in the face, remained faithful unto her latest breath 
to this difficult and heroic determination. She herself 
was on two occasions forced to make this admission ;* and 
Father Severinus, one of her confessors, gave testimony 
after her death that she accused herself at one time of 
having raised her eyes too high during the consecration, 
at the elevation of the Sacred Host, and of having thus 
accidentally seen the face of a man who was passing in 
front of the choir-grating. The rigid guardians of her 
eyes were her angelic modesty, the thick veil which she 
wore half-way down her face, and the cloth with which 
the grating for visitors to speak through was always 
covered. In addition to these, we may mention the ex- 
traordinary mortifications with which she visited her 
tender and innocent flesh, and which effectually extin- 
guished every inordinate movement of the senses. 
Through these precautions she was enabled to go in 
public and ask for alms, to transact business with many 
men, and, in cases of necessity, even to bring them into 
the house and accompany them, without ever looking at 
them or recognizing them otherwise than by their voice 
and walk. Berengarius, her first biographer, relates that 
as she was one day praying for a holy prelate she 
was wrapt in ecstasy and imagined herself in his ante- 
chamber, where she saw a matron of superhuman appear- 
ance coming out of the prelate’s room. The lady, ap- 
proaching Clare, said to her : “ My daughter, do you 
wish to see this prelate ?” Clare quickly replied, “ Lady, 
I do not at all wish to see him.” It was thus that the 
Saint guarded her eyes even in ecstasy. Nor was she 

* She said to her Sisters : “I can with good conscience affirm that 
I have never intentionally looked in the face of a man.” She observed 
this same modesty even towards her nearest relatives. {Analecta 
juris pontificii.) 


106 Life of St. Clare of Monte f ale o. 

less modest or reserved in using her hands. She never 
extended them even to receive alms, but begged the 
benefactor to place them on the rotary table which was 
at the grating for that purpose. If she was offered any- 
thing at the door by a cardinal or any other ecclesiasti- 
cal dignitary, she always received it with covered hand. 
There were at that time attached to convents certain 
persons called oblati , who, without taking on themselves 
all the obligations of the religious state, were still con- 
sidered as members of the family. Their business was 
to act as servants or mechanics, and they usually lived 
in houses near the convent. In admitting persons to this 
position there was a certain ceremony gone through, in 
which, amongst other things, the abbess took the hand of 
the person admitted. Whenever it fell to Clare’s lot to 
perform this ceremony, she always did it with hands and 
face covered. She was always careful to wear a long 
habit, which reached to the ground and completely cov- 
ered her feet ; and in sleeping she put her habit between 
her feet so that they might not touch one another. Even 
in sickness she would not allow those who waited on her 
to touch her ; and if her disease required the application 
of any ointment to her body, she always applied it her- 
self, deeming it improper to have any one else apply it. 
She was wont to say to her religious, who were astonished 
at her extraordinary carefulness in this respect : “ My 
Sisters, even though I were certain that no one saw me, 
I would never suffer any part of my body to remain un- 
covered except my hands and face.” As Sister Illu- 
minata, who likewise went barefoot through devotion, 
was returning one day from collecting alms, she raised 
her habit slightly above her foot to keep it from being 
soiled. For this she was reprimanded by the Saint as 
though she showed herself more careful of her clothes 
than of religious modesty. She was wont frequently to 
speak in terms of the highest praise of the holy virtue 
of virginity, and endeavored to instil into her religious 


io7 


Humility of St. Clare . 

the highest love and esteem for it. She recommended 
them to utter frequently during the day this pious ejac- 
ulation : “ O Lord, keep my soul pure.” Out of love for 
this same virtue she honored with a special devotion the 
feasts of holy virgins by performing some extra works 
of piety, and cherished towards these saints a love which 
daily increased. In one word, through her purity of 
soul and body, which is more easily admired than imi- 
tated ; through her voluntary poverty both in fact and 
in affection ; and through her prompt, cheerful, and 
blind obedience, Clare was a most faithful observer of 
the evangelical counsels, and reached the very summit of 
Christian perfection. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

Humility of St. Clare. 



HERE is a virtue which in a certain manner 
springs from man’s nothingness, but which 
is in reality the source and support of every 
other virtue. Where it is found, there also 
are the other virtues to be found; and where it is want- 
ing, there also every other virtue is wanting. This great 
virtue is humility — a virtue entirely unknown to pagan 
philosophy, which substituted for it the contrary vice. 
The Son of God Himself had to come down from hea- 
ven to teach it by word and example, and so rectify ideas 
and reform habits. Man came forth out of nothingness 
and ever bears in himself the impress of his origin. 
Blinded by his passions, he fails to perceive his lowliness, 
and contests at times the absolute dominion of his Crea- 
tor. The angels, whom God created so supremely fair, 
were the first sad victims of this vice; and their fall was 
great in proportion to their elevation. The first man, 
too, amidst the riches and delights of the earthly para- 
dise, proudly aspired to divine honors and to a complete 
independence of the Divinity; but he suddenly fell from 


108 Life of St. Clare of Montefcuco . 

his soaring flight into the deepest poverty, into the thorns 
of the earth and the arms of death. As pride is the 
source of every vice, so is its opposite, humility, the foun- 
dation of every virtue. St. Clare was fully persuaded of 
this, for. she knew her own nothingness; that is to say, 
she knew what forms the sage and the saint. Without 
speaking further of her humble submission to her sister 
before she had made her vows, it was through humility 
that she begged to be treated as a servant or professed 
as a lay Sister, and likewise sought to be appointed to 
collect alms. That same humility made her feel deeply 
pained when this latter humiliating office was taken from 
her, and also when the Abbess decided that she should 
make her profession as a choir-Sister; but in both cases 
her obedience came to the aid of her humility. Besides, 
she had the consolation of uniting the activity of Martha 
to the contemplation of Mary; for there was no low or 
menial service that she did not discharge. It was her 
delight to be engaged in sweeping, serving in the kitchen, 
waiting on the table, and such- like occupations. She 
took such delight in the discharge of these lowly duties 
that she sometimes fell into a state of ecstasy while en- 
gaged in them. On one occasion her sister Johanna 
called her to an account for her eagerness to be engaged 
in these menial occupations, and Clare was then obliged 
to confess that she found in them no hindrance to in- 
terior recollection or to the spirit of prayer and union 
with God. We have already made mention of many acts 
of humiliation performed by her, such as presenting her- 
self to be beaten by her own subjects and serving on 
bended knees those afflicted with leprosy and other re- 
pulsive diseases. Clare considered it an honor to be al- 
lowed to serve her Sisters, for in serving them she ima- 
gined that she was ministering to the angels themselves. 
Her attention to the Sisters was none the less marked 
even when she was their superior, and she was frequently 
heard to say that the only position suited to her was to 


Humility of St. Clare . 


109 


minister to those wretched creatures whom the whole 
world abandoned. Her position as Abbess was so much 
opposed to her humility that she often sought to resign 
it. The very titles by which she was addressed caused 
her such pain that she frequently begged the Sisters to 
address her simply as Sister Clare. But the more she 
sought to humble herself the higher she rose in the esti- 
mation of her religious. The respect shown her caused 
her great pain, and she endeavored by every means in 
her power to imbue her subjects with a low opinion of 
herself. To this end she frequently said to them: “Ah! 
my Sisters, if you only knew me, you would not think 
or speak of me as you do. I am a sinner, an unworthy 
creature; and were it not for God’s mercy, and your and 
others’ prayers which continually sustain me, I know not 
what would become of me. If the Lord gives me any 
grace, He grants it on your account and for your good; 
as to myself, I am an ingrate and know not how to profit 
by them.” By these and such-like sincere expressions of 
humility she kept far away every sentiment of vanity. 
In the latter years of her life she was honored and visited 
by the leading dignitaries of the Roman court, and was 
looked upon by the people as a saint; but she, who saw 
in herself only imperfections and nothingness, was deaf 
to praise and remained immovable in her profound hu- 
mility. On one occasion a great multitude of people as- 
sembled before the convent-gate and asked that the Saint 
give them her blessing. When their request was brought 
to Clare she became greatly confused, and, bursting into 
tears, exclaimed: “ Is it possible that anyone should have 
such ideas of me who am unworthy to live upon the 
earth?” When persons came to speak to her of the fa- 
vors obtained and the miracles wrought for them through 
her intercession, she always told them that it was not her 
prayers but those of her community and their own faith 
that worked these happy results. But at times the voice 
of malevolence and calumny made itself heard amidst the 


no 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

testimonies of praise, and it was then that Clare’s humi- 
lity found room for exercise. She was always grieved 
at being made the object of popular applause, but the 
defamation of her character caused her no pain or annoy- 
ance. On such occasions she was even more joyful than 
usual, and was wont to say: “ They are right in speaking 
ill of me. God be praised for it!” Enamored as she 
was of this virtue, she would have liked to infuse it into 
everyone, and she never let pass an opportunity of show- 
ing its excellence both to her religious and others. To 
her brother, Father Francis, who applied himself with 
eagerness to his studies and made considerable progress 
in them, she spoke as follows: “ I would like to see you 
possessed of such humility that you would be able to 
teach it to others by your example. I am not pleased at 
seeing so much made of that learning which puffs up. 
I would rather see you a lay Brother and an humble cook 
in a monastery than the first theologian in Paris.” When 
she reflected on the great number of extraordinary graces 
which the Lord bestowed on her, lost in the consider- 
ation of her own nothingness and God’s wonderful con- 
descension to so unworthy a creature, she trembled at 
the strict reckoning she would one day have to render. 
She always studied to conceal as far as possible these 
divine favors; and what is known of them was of such a 
nature that it could not be concealed, or was extorted 
from her by command of her confessors, or, finally, was 
willed by God to be made known for the instruction and 
edification of her religious. And who knows how many 
other favors she may have received from Heaven which 
her humility succeeded in concealing? It was precisely 
by her heroic humility that the genuineness of her vir- 
tues was tested by that heavenly Spouse who humbled 
Himself unto death, even the death of the Cross. He 
saw her in her lowliness, was pleased with her, and fitted 
her for higher degrees of glory; for His justice loves to 
humble the proud and exalt the humble. 


St. Clare s Reputation for Sanctity. 


1 1 1 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

St. Clare’s Reputation for Sanctity. 

m ^re the humble lower and hide themselves, 
Up] ImS more Cod exalts them and makes them 

flii HH known, not merely in heaven, but, for the 
BSpSHI most part, even on earth. St. Clare is a proof 
of this; for, hidden as she was from her very childhood 
in the obscurity of a hermitage, she could not hinder the 
lustre of her early sanctity from shedding its beams far 
around. Even then she was admired by all, and predic- 
tions were freely made of her future holiness; and al- 
though she could not be readily approached on account 
of the watchfulness of her sister Johanna, many persons 
recommended themselves to her prayers. But what is 
more, the Sisters who lived with her both in the her- 
mitage and the convent, and who had abundant oppor- 
tunities of observing her conduct, always revered her as 
a saint, and spread her reputation for holiness far and 
wide both during life and after her death, as is clearly 
proven from the public processes of her canonization. She 
enjoyed a like character in the eyes of the many eminent 
servants of God at that time living in Umbria, a number 
of whom formed their judgment of her, not merely by 
popular repute, but on their own personal knowledge of 
her. From amongst these there were some who beheld 
her in mysterious visions with a garland of the fairest 
flowers encircling her neck, a symbol of the rare virtues 
that adorned her soul. Others, again , beheld her by the 
side of her crucified Jesus, surrounded with marvellous 
splendor and giving forth heavenly fragrance. To others 
it was given to behold her inebriated with the delights 
of heavenly bliss. Others saw her elevated in the air be- 
yond all her religious. Others saw her reclining on the 
bosom of the Virgin Mother and fondly caressed by the 
Infant Jesus. Others, in fine, saw her sharing in the 


I 12 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

splendors which surrounded the august Child, and re- 
flecting them even upon her religious. Three of the 
nuns, Marina, Lucia, and Andriola, have preserved for 
us another instance in which Heaven bore testimony to 
the sanctity of Clare. The Saint was in the twenty- 
seventh year of her age, when, on a certain Friday after 
complin, and after finishing the usual conference on hu- 
mility, she remained in the chapter-room with the three 
Sisters above mentioned. As they were engaged in 
prayer the Sisters were struck with astonishment at 
seeing a resplendent pillar of fire descend upon the head 
of the Saint and remain there for some time. Its bright- 
ness was such that another nun, Sister Johanna, saw it 
through the crevices of her window. In the same year, 
also on Friday, and on a like occasion, there appeared, 
not merely to two or three but to all the nuns, a most 
brilliant light in the shape of a half-moon, which rested 
on the head of the Saint, and caused her countenance, 
like that of Moses, to emit rays of wonderful brightness. 
God then, as if to crown His testimony to Clare’s sanc- 
tity, caused her to be rapt in ecstasy, leaving the nuns 
overcome with astonishment and gladness, and more 
than ever desirous of imitating the extraordinary virtues 
of their sainted Abbess. These and other supernatural 
gifts could not and should not be concealed, because, as 
the Archangel Raphael said to Tobias, “to reveal the 
works of God redounds to God’s honor.” From these 
premises we can readily infer in what esteem the people 
held the Saint on account of her rare virtues and 
extraordinary endowments. The same will cause us not 
to be surprised at the fact that her confessors, and even 
prelates, bishops, and cardinals, — in a word, the most 
learned and enlightened persons of her day, — looked upon 
her as a saint, and sought to recommend themselves to 
her prayers as well by letter as by the intervention of 
others, and not seldom in their own person. 

To mention an instance, it is a matter well worthy of 


• 5 V. Clares Reputation for Sanctity. 113 

being recorded that Cardinal Peter Colonna desired to 
become an oblatus in the convent of the Saint. This high 
dignitary accordingly set out one day from Rome for 
Montefalco, and begged the Saint for the favor of ad- 
mission amongst her oblati. He wished thereby to give 
St. Clare a special proof of his respect, and at the same 
time cause her to have a certain claim on him, so that 
she might be able as Abbess to dispose of his authority 
and influence in favor of her convent. On this occasion 
there arose a beautiful rivalry in humility on the part 
both of the one and the other; but the pious cardinal 
was determined if possible to overcome the Saint, and 
insisted so earnestly on her complying with his request 
that she was finally obliged to yield. What an edifying 
spectacle it was to see this purpled dignitary of such 
high rank kneeling at the feet of an humble nun, prom- 
ising her obedience, and not rising from his lowly pos- 
ture till she had blessed him with the holy sign of the 
cross! It was the same cardinal that wrote her, by order of 
Pope Clement V., a letter in which he recommended to 
her prayers the needs of holy Church and of the Sove- 
reign Pontiff. Cardinal James Colonna was likewise a 
devoted admirer of the sanctity of Clare. In token 
of his esteem he presented to her the precious relic of 
the finger of St. Anne — that very finger which, even to 
the present day, is miraculously preserved clothed with 
flesh, and is still shown to pious pilgrims for their vene- 
ration. He also sent her a cross, filled with rare and 
precious relics, which is likewise still preserved in the 
convent at Montefalco. In fine, to be convinced of St. 
Clare's widespread reputation for sanctity, it is sufficient 
to call to mind what we have mentioned in the preceding 
chapter, how the people assembled in crowds around the 
convent, saluting her as saint and imploring her blessing, 
to her great confusion and shame. If there were any 
persons who doubted of her sanctity, they were soon 
obliged to change both their ideas and their language. 


1 14 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

Such is the homage which Christian virtue receives even 
from that world that seldom practises it and not rarely 
persecutes it — a homage which is certainly far more sin- 
cere than that which interest and ambition bestow on 
the great ones of the earth and their hypocritical virtues. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

St. Clare recovers her Interior Peace. 

THE seventh chapter of this biography we 
pjyf gaj gave a general review of the many and fierce 
ESI ffijj temptations to which St. Clare was continu- 
BbJmH ally exposed for a period of eleven years, as 
well as of the great sufferings she had to undergo in her 
struggle between the flesh and the spirit. We likewise 
mentioned the spiritual dryness and desolation of soul 
which she had to endure in the midst of the unholy sug- 
gestions of the evil one and the allurements of her 
senses. Far from being opposed to suffering, she would 
have welcomed her trials if they did not bring with them 
the danger of offending God, the sole object of her love. 
But what sighs and tears did not this thought alone cost 
her during those years of her trial which seemed to her so 
long ! It is true that her heavenly Spouse did not forget 
to console her during those years with many intervals of 
light, nay, even showed from time to time by the most 
signal favors how pleasing her constancy and fortitude 
were to Him ; nevertheless she lived in continual appre- 
hension and fear, and consequently begged and conjured 
her good God to deign to give back to her that peace of 
heart and sensible fervor which she had enjoyed up to the 
twentieth year of her age. It happened at this time, on 
one of the many occasions in which she was wont to pray, 
that she fell into an ecstasy and had the following vision 
She saw a person who endeavored to set fire to a bundle 
of straw which he held in his hand ; but the straw did 
not take fire. Hereupon she heard a voice suggesting 


St. Clare Recovers her Interior Peace. 1 1 5 

to steep the straw in oil, which being done it instantly 
caught fire. When the vision disappeared, the Saint 
understood clearly its meaning. By the straw were fig- 
ured her holy desires, which would be set on fire and 
consumed by the fervor of her love only when they were 
thoroughly permeated with the oil of humility, which oil 
could be obtained only through the cleansing filter of 
temptation. Clare instantly prostrated herself before 
the divine Majesty ; buried herself in the abyss of her 
own nothingness ; confessed herself deserving of every 
punishment and privation ; made the most generous acts 
of perpetual conformity to the will of God ; declared her- 
self ready to endure even greater sufferings unto deatn, 
and to drink the bitter chalice to the very dregs if such 
were the divine pleasure ; and finished with begging God 
never to abandon her in her trials and combats. This 
new and perfect act of humility and this heroic resigna- 
tion to God’s will instantly brought her peace — that 
peace of God which, as the Apostle says, surpasseth all 
understanding, and is a foretaste of that bliss which the 
blessed enjoy in heaven. Clare now seemed to herself 
as though she were born to a new life and lived under a 
new sky. Her divine Spouse Jesus had, as it were, 
awaked from His mystic sleep and commanded the sea 
and the winds and brought on a great calm. Darkness 
disappeared from her mind, and the stormy waves of her 
heart were stilled ; her former serenity returned, and 
her anxieties, sighs, and tears were at an end. He who 
has not traversed this raging sea of the passions, or who 
is not possessed of the burning love of Clare, can form no 
just conception of these storms. Not so joyful or con- 
tented is the mariner who has reached the port in safety, 
escaping from the fury of the tempest and from ship- 
wreck, as was our Clare, now that.her peace of soul and 
spiritual sweetness made her believe that the danger of 
spiritual shipwreck was far removed. Free and joyous 
now, she ran with dilated heart along those pathways of 


1 1 6 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

the divine precepts and counsels which from narrow had 
become broad and spacious, and it seemed to her as 
though she were walking on the road which leads straight 
to heaven. It is, however, a singular thing, at least as 
viewed from the narrow standpoint of human intelligence, 
and a thing well worthy of being noticed, that our Saint 
received from God during the eleven years of her spi- 
ritual dryness and temptations more light and learning 
than she ever received during the years of her calmness 
either before or after. God, who is ever wonderful in His 
saints, knows how to conceal the treasures of His wisdom 
from the wise ones of this world and to communicate 
them to His humble servants ; and these latter are never 
so humble as when they see their own original nothing- 
ness and their own weakness in the clear light of tempta- 
tion. St. Clare herself frequently acknowledged that she 
had received during those years such great knowledge 
and instruction from God that she could reason not 
merely on divine but human things without having ever 
studied them. Of this she gave proof on different occa- 
sions, as we shall afterwards have occasion to mention. 
These signal favors both of light and grace excited in 
her feelings of th*e deepest gratitude and an ardent de- 
sire to advance more and more in the love of God. In 
point of fact, she did advance continually; and, what 
never happened to her before, she felt that she was mak- 
ing progress. But this state of perfect tranquillity did 
not last long, for the sea of life, over which we sail to- 
wards eternity, is never still ; nay, a calm is more dan- 
gerous than a storm. God willed that Clare’s merits 
should continually increase; He wished to purify her 
more and more ; He wished that she should live and die 
crucified with Jesus Christ. For this reason He permit- 
ted that His beloved bride should enter on a new scene 
of strife, into labors and struggles rather external than 
internal, and should be visited with serious infirmities, 
as we shall afterwards see. 


St. Clare Builds a Convent Church. 1 1 7 


CHAPTER XX. 

St. Clare receives the Impression of the Mysteries and Instru- 
ments of the Passion and of the Symbol of the Most Holy 
Trinity. She afterwards builds a Convent Church. 

T. CLARE had reached the age of thirty- 
three years — the age at which the Redeemer 
of the world gave up His life on the altar of 
the cross, thus completing the great sacrifice 
which He came to offer for the reconciliation of Heaven 
and earth. This period was likewise to form an epoch 
in the life of the Saint and in the annals of the Order to 
which she belonged. As she was already in spirit a liv- 
ing image of her crucified Redeemer, so did He will that 
she should be transformed into His own image even in 
the flesh. From her tenderest years she had been accus- 
tomed to meditate with the most rapt attention on 
each and every one of the various sorrowful scenes in the 
passion of her beloved Jesus, and to offer Him her most 
respectful condolence in His awful agony. On a cer- 
tain day it happened that she felt herself more than 
ordinarily attracted to this holy exercise; she felt her 
heart inflamed with the most intense feelings of love 
and compassion, and her soul elevated, as it were, above 
itself and wholly absorbed in the contemplation of those 
mysteries. On a sudden she saw standing before her 
the august object of her sympathetic grief, the Saviour 
Himself, clothed in a white garment, and wearing on 
His countenance a smile of sweetest tenderness. He 
was in the guise of a pilgrim, and bore His cross upon 
His shoulders. Turning towards her, He said that He 
wished to plant that very cross in her heart. He spoke, 
and it was done. The words of the Almighty were im- 
mediately followed by a wonderful effect. That very 
instant, not only was the cross planted in her heart, but 
all the mysteries of the passion were impressed upon 



1 1 8 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

and depicted in the cavity of that same heart. She felt 
at the moment all the greatness of the favor and the 
miracle, and thenceforward contemplated the sufferings 
of Jesus, not in Jerusalem or on Calvary, but in herself. 
We would not dare to inquire into the nature of Clare’s 
sentiments and affections during those happy moments. 
Let whosoever thinks that he can represent them to him- 
self know that every effort of his imagination will fall 
far short of the reality. 

The miraculous proof of the divine beneficence which 
we have just recorded was certainly great and singular, 
being hitherto unheard of in the history of the Church: 
but it was not all. There are two leading mysteries of 
our holy faith which are closely connected and on which 
all others depend; namely, the mystery of the passion 
and death of the Saviour, and that of the Unity and 
Trinity of God. Now the Almighty, who dwelt in Clare 
as in a temple of predilection, wished to enrich her with 
the symbols of both these august mysteries; He wished 
to impress upon her with His own finger, not the mere 
precepts of the law, but the abridgment of all the teach- 
ing of faith, writing it, not on tables, as He did of old 
on Sinai, but on the inner organs of her body. And 
here is another wonder: there appeared in the integument 
of the Saint’s gall three little balls or globular pellets, 
exactly alike in size, weight, and color, and so arranged 
as to form an equilateral triangle. What is still more 
wonderful is that each one of these weighed just as 
much as the other two. But we shall have occasion to 
speak again of these wonderful evidences of divine favor 
when we are describing the opening of the Saint’s body 
after her death. We simply remark here that Clare 
received these impressions in the first year of the four- 
teenth century, during the pontificate of Boniface VIII. 

Seventy-six years before, St. Francis, the founder of 
the great Franciscan Order, had received the Stigmata, or 
impression of the five sacred wounds, and already the 


St. Clare Builds a Convent Church . 1 1 9 

report of the miracle had excited the admiration of the 
world. Forty-five years afterwards the great Doctor of 
the Church, St. Bonaventure, employed his eloquent pen 
in describing this wonderful event, and justly designated 
it as unique and hitherto unheard of in the entire his- 
tory of the preceding centuries. But what would he 
have said had he survived till the time of our Saint ! 
As the saints are strangers to envy, and have no other 
end in view save the glory of God and the interest of 
truth, we are perfectly justified in instituting a compari- 
son between St. Francis and St. Clare. A seraph made 
the impression of the Stigmata on St. Francis, but the 
Redeemer Himself made it on St. Clare; Francis re- 
ceived the impression of the five wounds, but Clare had 
pictured in her all the mysteries of the passion. And 
not only of the passion, but she likewise received the 
symbol of the sublime mystery of God’s Unity and 
Trinity. She received them, too, not for a short time, so 
that they afterwards disappeared, but for ages to come, 
so that they were miraculously preserved, and can be 
touched and seen at the present day. Many eminent 
historians have written on this extraordinary privilege 
of St. Clare; still we cannot help expressing our astonish- 
ment that Catholic authors have not striven more to 
make it known. 

God had fashioned for Himself in Clare a temple of 
predilection, enriched with the choicest symbolic orna- 
ments of faith; and the Saint on her part shortly after- 
wards formed the resolution of building for Him a 
material temple which would not be so small or so un- 
suited to His majesty as the old church of St. Catherine 
which the poverty of the good religious had obliged 
them to use up to this time. In point of fact, her sister, 
Blessed Johanna had previously formed the intention of 
building a new church, and had obtained the bishop’s 
permission for it. This desire of her sister was trans- 
mitted to Clare, and grew continually stronger in her 


I 20 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

during the years of her Superiorship, but the poverty of 
her convent hindered the execution of her designs. She 
did not lose hope, however, that God would one day 
open for her the way and give her the means of accom- 
plishing her design. And so it happened; for by God’s 
dispensation her reputation for sanctity continually in- 
creased, and the minds of the faithful were thus disposed 
to aid her in the fulfilment of her pious intention. Clare 
accordingly set about the work, relying on God’s help 
and the kindly disposition of friends and benefactors. 
After obtaining the permission of her superiors and the 
consent of her religious, she succeeded in getting to- 
gether a sum of money through alms and the economi- 
cal management of the convent revenues, and so pre- 
pared the material for building. She then requested the 
bishop of the diocese, Nicholas Albertinus, a Dominican 
afterwards created cardinal by Benedict XI., likewise a 
Dominican, to bless the corner-stone of the new edifice. 
The bishop did not hesitate to comply with her request, 
and immediately sent her the stone already blessed. 
With it he sent a letter which is still extant, and which 
is directed to a certain man named Bordone, telling him 
to take his place in laying this foundation-stone of the 
new church which was to be built in honor of God, the 
Blessed Virgin, the Holy Cross, and St. Catherine. The 
feast of St. John the Baptist, in the year 1303, was fixed 
for the ceremony, and it took place with all solemnity 
and in presence of a large assemblage of the faithful. 
The foundations were soon laid, and the walls rose 
rapidly; and in less than a year the whole church was 
completed, to the great surprise of all. Only a very 
small remnant of this ancient church is standing at the 
present day — a part of the choir; but a much larger 
building has since been erected. The Saint having thus 
arrived at the term of her desires, it seemed as though 
she could never tear herself away from this church, be- 
cause it bore the title dearest to her; that is, the title of 


The Infused Knowledge of St. Clare . 121 

the Holy Cross, which was doubly impressed on her 
heart. She spent there many hours of the day and a 
good part of the night; thither she caused herself to be 
borne by her religious when she was sick; there she 
wished, as we shall see, to breathe her last sigh, and 
wing her flight thence to heaven. She was always 
and specially solicitous for the foundation and comple- 
tion of the living temples of God, as well in herself as in 
her religious and in men generally, but she likewise 
merited the praise which the Holy Ghost bestowed on 
Simon, the son of Onias — that, namely, he not only took 
care of his people, but likewise founded the height of 
the temple. 


CHAPTER XXI. 

The Infused Knowledge of St. Clare, and the Use which she 
made of it for the Salvation of Souls. 

HE Saviour of the world not only worked mir- 
acles Himself and verified prophecies in order 
to found His Church and prove His divinity, 
but He was likewise pleased to give the Holy 
Ghost visibly to His Apostles and invisibly to the primi- 
tive faithful in order to enrich them with like wonderful 
gifts and graces. St. Paul tells us that it is one and the 
same Spirit that distributes gifts, but that the gifts and 
graces are manifold. Some received the spirit of knowl- 
edge; others the spirit of prophecy and discerning of 
spirits; others the gift of tongues or of miracles; others 
received other gifts, until the tree of Christianity was 
planted with firm roots in the earth. But the Church 
has never yet been wanting in great saints, whom the 
Lord from time to time enriched with those gifts which 
He distributed amongst the primitive Christians. St. 
Clare was one of these saints, and was possessed in an 
extraordinary degree of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 



122 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

There are not wanting writers who affirm that the Holy 
Spirit descended visibly upon her, as of old upon the 
Apostles, in the form of tongues of fire; but this report 
probably arose from the fact that a pillar of fire de- 
scended upon her, as we mentioned in the eighteenth 
chapter, in which we treated of her reputation for sanc- 
tity. However this may be, it is beyond all doubt that 
she possessed amongst other gifts the gift of knowledge. 
And what is still more wonderful and shows more espe- 
cially the favor of the Almighty is that she obtained 
this precious gift amidst the darkness of the purgative 
way which, as we remarked before, she had to traverse 
for many years. When I say the gift of knowledge I in- 
clude in it likewise the gift of wisdom. The former 
teaches us to understand the true value of created things 
and to use them in a manner advantageous to the salva- 
tion of our souls; the latter teaches us to know and judge 
aright of higher or eternal things, and was for Clare the 
fountain whence flowed all her other gifts. Many 
learned men of her time, theologians and philosophers, 
propounded to our Saint the most abstruse questions and 
received the most wonderful solution of them, so that 
they were forced to bear testimony to the rare extent of 
the knowledge with which the Holy Ghost had enriched 
her, and were struck with amazement, even as the doc- 
tors of the synagogue were astonished at the wisdom 
which the Child Jesus displayed in the temple at Jeru- 
salem when he was but twelve years old. Among the 
many admirers of her wisdom are counted bishops and 
theologians, and one of these latter remarked to Cardinal 
Peter Colonna that her learning was far superior to that 
of the theologians themselves; and added, in allusion to 
an answer she had given to a certain question put to her, 
that Solomon himself could not have answered better. 
It is a pity that the circumstances of the time in which 
she lived have hidden from us the light which the Saint 
threw on many difficult passages of Holy Scripture and 


The Infused Knowledge of St. Clare . 123 

on mystic theology; nevertheless, we shall endeavor to 
narrate what we can gather from the acts of her beatifi- 
cation and canonization. 

Her confessor, Don Thomas, of Gubbio, once asked her 
for an explanation of those words which the Lord spoke 
to Moses, as recorded in Exodus xxxiii. 23: “ Thou shalt 
see my back parts; but my face thou shalt not see.”* The 
Saint answered that by the expression back parts were 
meant creatures, and by the word face the divine essence; 
so that the whole phrase signified that Moses would 
never enjoy on earth that clear vision of God which is 
reserved for the blessed in heaven, but that he would 
have a special apprehension of God through the medium 
of created things. It was this same confessor that had 
introduced into the convent the recitation of the canoni- 
cal hours, and it is truly wonderful that the Saint in- 
stantly understood all the rubrics relating thereto, so 
that she could instruct her religious in them, and like- 
wise instantly knew the whole divine office to memory. 
A certain Biagio Paolucci expressed his astonishment at 
hearing the able answers she gave to many difficult ques- 
tions propounded to her by two theologians, and testified 
still further that, having asked her how she could answer 
those questions with such ease, she replied to him: “ This 
gift is given me by God for my confusion, as I do not 
know how to derive profit from it.” But Father Francis, 
her brother, experienced more than others the extent of 
her knowledge. He was obliged to confess that he 
learned more from his sister than he had ever learned 
either from his teachers or his books. For this reason 
he often betook himself to the convent to propose to her 
his doubts and difficulties, and always came away satis- 


* According to many holy fathers, the human nature of Jesus Christ 
and His kingdom on earth are to be understood by the expression, 
the back parts of God. God showed to Moses in a symbolic manner 
the mercies of Jesus Christ and the glories of His Church on earth. 


1 24 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

fied. She was perhaps less reserved in disclosing to her 
brother the richness of her light, but she was far less 
ready to discuss scientific matters with other persons. 
She was mindful of her sex and station; and the humility 
which she cultivated assiduously when most highly 
favored by God and men made her feel the greatest re- 
pugnance in manifesting the gifts of her wisdom. She 
blushed and often refused to appear before certain per- 
sons, out of fear lest she should be led into learned dis- 
cussions; and then only did she allow herself to be moved 
to see them when she felt herself urged either by the im- 
pulses of her heart, or by motives of charity towards her 
neighbor, or else by the command of her confessor. It 
was her love for her neighbor, which burned brightly in 
her soul and which she esteemed superior to all other 
motives except her love for God, that most frequently 
made her speak, and speak, too, with a most convincing 
eloquence. Her language was indeed simple and com- 
monplace, as her simplicity of heart dictated, but her 
thoughts were insinuating, devout, profound, and always 
in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture and the 
Fathers. So great were the force and earnestness that 
accompanied her words when she undertook to bring 
souls back to God or to confirm them in the ways of 
piety, that it was easy to see from what a depth of char- 
ity her arguments must have proceeded. The same was 
evident from the wonderful effects which her words pro- 
duced on those who listened to them. By her discourses 
she made those who were weak in virtue strong, the 
vacillating firm; the zealous she made still more zeal- 
ous; she refuted and crushed heresies and converted 
heretics; and when treating of subjects regarding God’s 
mercy and other perfections she was frequently seen to 
become absorbed in ecstasy. We have already remarked 
that her position as Abbess obliged her at times to give 
instructions to her religious on the Christian virtues and 
regular observance; we now merely remark that her dis- 


The Infused Knowledge of Si. Clare. 125 

courses were always filled with most convincing argu- 
ments and with examples drawn from the sacred Scrip- 
tures, and were delivered with a grace and unction that 
made even the most austere practice of virtue amiable 
and attractive. She did not use her knowledge for 
the benefit of her religious, only, but likewise to the ad- 
vantage of many others. To give some instances: — we 
read of two preachers, one a Dominican and the other a 
Franciscan, who were sent to the convent of the Holy 
Cross to announce there the word of God, and who, after 
some conversations with the Saint, experienced such un- 
usual consolation of soul and felt themselves urged on 
with such extraordinary impulses towards Christian per- 
fection, that they departed in amazement at her wonder- 
ful learning and sanctity. A cavalier of Spoleto, by 
name John Maffei, deposed that he had heard many 
learned and spiritual persons speaking, but that he never 
heard any one who could at all approach Clare in depth 
of doctrine. To her eloquent and penetrating exhorta- 
tions he attributed his own abandonment of the vanities 
and sinful pleasures of the world. He added that he 
had heard Cardinal Peter Colonna use these words: “I 
would not lose for all the gold in the world the opportu- 
nity of conversing with Sister Clare of the Cross; because 
I have found such consolation in her words, that in my 
whole life I have never experienced greater content- 
ment." The same cavalier had a son named Father 
Napoleon, of the Order of St. Augustine; and he too, in 
conversing with St. Clare, felt himself moved with such 
vehement affections and such a sweet interior change, 
that in his astonishment he broke forth into tears of con- 
solation. Two other men, natives of Spoleto, admitted 
that they owed to the learned and mellifluous discourses 
of the Saint all their spiritual progress. And a certain 
hermit of Spoleto, named Brother Giglio, declared that 
he was almost enraptured at the wisdom which flowed 
from the lips of the Saint during a long conference 


126 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

which he once had with her. When we were speaking of 
St. Clare’s love for her neighbor we recounted several in- 
stances of sinners whom she drew to penance; it will not 
be out of place if we add here, as a proof of the Saint’s 
heavenly wisdom, another instance of her victory over 
sin. There lived during her time at Montefalco a man 
who had been guilty of many great crimes, nay, even 
murders, and who was on that account the terror and the 
disgrace of his native town. Full of pride, he spurned 
every warning and every advice; but the unsearchable 
wisdom of God’s mercy so arranged matters that he had 
a conversation with Clare. She spoke to him with such 
force and earnestness, that this great sinner recognized 
the horror of the abyss in which he was sunk and in- 
stantly resolved to change his life. He immediately 
threw himself at the feet of a confessor, repented of his 
criminal conduct, set out on a pilgrimage for the shrine 
of St. James of Galicia, returned a penitent, and re- 
mained such till death. It is thus the saints employ their 
talents and their gifts. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

St. Clare Disputes with Heretics and Refutes them. 

HE infused wisdom of Clare served likewise as 
a rampart against heresy, and aided her in 
confounding every heretic with whom she had 
occasion to dispute. We read in the fifth les- 
son of her office, as given in the breviary of the Augus- 
tinian Order, that she refuted the false doctrines of here- 
tics and satisfied the philosophers who propounded to 
her the most abstruse questions. We have already 
spoken of those heretics who were secretly spreading 
their pernicious doctrines in Italy, and who dared to ap- 
proach even to the enclosure of St. Clare’s convent. 
They were known under various names, such as Beg- 



St. Clare Disputes with Heretics. 127 

hards, Beguines, Bizocchi, Fraticelli, Brothers and Sis- 
ters of the Free Spirit, and other such titles. These in- 
famous sects seemed to have been extinct from the time 
when Blessed James of Bevagna won a complete victory 
over Ottonello till the year 1304; but precisely in that 
year, that is to say four years before the death of Clare, 
they were revived by Bentivenga of Gubbio. He suc- 
ceeded in deluding many persons, both men and women, 
who went around through the province of Umbria, clad 
in penitential garments and carrying a cross and a scourge 
in their hands, seeking proselytes and inviting them to 
their secret and shameful meetings. As these heretics 
knew how to assume the appearance of sanctity, they at 
first deceived many incautious persons; but St. Clare saw 
through their disguise by the aid of heavenly light and 
her gift of discerning spirits, and quickly unveiled their 
insidious plans. She remarked to Sister Johanna Aegi- 
dia and others that under these appearances they con- 
cealed the most artful inventions of the Evil One. Not- 
withstanding this, Bentivenga, made bold by his many 
easy conquests, conceived the foolish idea of gaining St. 
Clare, of whose sanctity he had heard much, over to his 
party. With this end in view he came to Montefalco in 
1306, visited the convent of the Holy Cross, and asked 
to have a conversation with the Saint. His dress and 
demeanor bore a certain semblance of sanctity, and his 
language at first seemed to indicate a man of contem- 
plation and of deep interior life; but his piety and mysti- 
cism were unfortunately deeply tainted with that detest- 
able quietism which, though frequently crushed in the 
past centuries, has just as frequently endeavored to raise 
its infernal head. His hypocritical character was plainly 
shown up in his conversation with Clare when he affirmed 
that the highest point of perfection to which the soul can 
arrive is to lose every personal affection, and that, when 
it reaches this point, it is perfectly free to be wholly 
united with God no matter how much it may indulge the 


128 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

inclinations of the flesh. The Saint was horrified at the 
open enunciation of those impious doctrines, subversive 
as they were of all morality, although she knew before- 
hand the odious character of these sectaries. She burned 
with a holy indignation, but she was careful not to trans- 
gress the bounds of moderation. She undertook, there- 
fore, to give him in a respectful manner a theological re- 
futation of his doctrine; but their dispute grew warm, 
and kept on till an advanced hour, so that they were 
obliged to remit it to the following day. Clare did not 
sleep that night, but spent it in fervent prayer, beseech- 
ing God to be merciful and touch the heart of that se- 
ducer of souls. As she prayed, the Lord Himself ap- 
peared to her with angry countenance and said that she 
should not give this Bentivenga such considerate an- 
swers, for he was His determined enemy; but that she 
should speak to him as to one who in his hard-hearted- 
ness had wilfully outraged the august honor of God. 
The heresiarch returned to the convent on the following 
day, and put forward all his fallacies that he might en- 
snare the Saint; but she unveiled his sophisms and re- 
futed his false views by her prompt and solid answers. 
In the progress of the controversy he asked her if the 
fact that God permitted sin to be committed did not 
take away its malice. St. Clare replied: “If God’s per- 
mission took away sin, there would no longer be any sin 
in the world. The permission, nay, the concurrence of 
God in all human actions is good in and for itself, con- 
sidered as an action, and ordained to a good end; it is 
only men who abuse their faculties and free-will, and in 
this lies the malice of sin which God never wills.” The 
heretic then asked her whether the virgin St. Agnes was 
more pleasing in the sight of God than the penitent Mag- 
dalen. The Saint answered: “I know that the sins of 
Magdalen could not have pleased God, and that virginity 
has always been pleasing to Him, but it may well have 
happened that Magdalen after her conversion performed 


St. Clare Disputes with Heretics. 129 

such perfect acts of virtue, and grew so fervent in her 
penance, that her sanctity surpassed that of St. Agnes.” 
Bentivenga, who had come well prepared with argu- 
ments, commenced now to bring forward quotations from 
the Scriptures and the Fathers in defence of his errors, 
which he no longer concealed. Hereupon the Saint said 
to him: “ I will enter on no more discussions with you, as I 
see plainly how you misuse the Holy Scriptures. Unfortu- 
nate man! I understand better now the vision which I lately 
had of a blind man who came to me and who caused me 
great fear by his blindness. If you are not convinced by 
the evidence of the arguments which I have laid before 
you during these two unsuccessful conferences, nothing 
remains for me but to weep over your destruction, as I 
see that all that your Creator and Redeemer has done 
for you is made void through your own perversity. 
Blind as you are, and leader of the blind, you will in- 
evitably fall into that pit which your own obstinate 
malice has opened.” Whilst Clare wept, the heretic 
laughed and scoffed at her tears, saying, “I pray God to 
give you the same spirit as I have.” The Saint replied: 
“But I entreat the Divine Goodness that I may suffer 
every evil, even death itself, rather than be allowed to 
fall into your error.” The heretic said: “If I were not 
afraid to preach, I would like to convert the whole world 
and make it holy.” The Saint replied: “Therefore my 
spirit is better than yours; for I am not afraid to preach 
all that I believe, even though I had to suiter the most 
cruel martyrdom in support of it. He who is near to 
God knows not fear; learn therefore from your very fear 
to recognize the falsity of your spirit.” This dispute 
lasted from early morning till mid-day, and Clare un- 
doubtedly lost not the merit of her zeal; but that was 
all she gained, for this time she succeeded not in con- 
verting the heretic, though she refuted his heresy. She 
was not so fortunate in this controversy as was Blessed 
James in his controversy with Ottonello, whom he con- 


130 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

verted, probably because he was rather deceived himself 
than deceiving others, or for other inscrutable reasons 
of divine Providence. When the incorrigible Bentivenga 
had gone away, the Saint, turning to her nuns, who had 
heard the whole dispute, said: “All that I have said I 
have said for the honor of God; I myself would likewise 
fall, and would be no better than Bentivenga, if God did 
not support me by His grace.” * 

But if Clare was unsuccessful with Bentivenga, she 
succeeded in the case of Father John of Bevagna, who 
had imbibed the same false doctrines. This priest was 
the confessor of the convent of the Holy Cross, and al- 
lowed himself to be carried away by an excessive spiritu- 
ality and a too great zeal for the observance of the rule. 
The Holy Ghost says, “ Let him who stands take heed 
lest he fall,” and Father John was lacking in this holy 
cautiousness; for, through a long intercourse with a man 
who was tainted with this heresy, he himself gradually 
imbibed the pernicious doctrine, without however in- 
dulging in those detestable excesses which these sec- 
taries deemed lawful. From the very time in which he 
commenced to discharge the duty of father confessor 
Clare had perceived, as if by instinct, the poison which 
he carried concealed in his breast. In order to make 


* When Clare could not convert this heretic she accused him before 
an ecclesiastical tribunal, so that he might be made harmless and not 
be able to lead others astray. The fact, therefore, that she entered into 
a conversation on religious matters with him is in nowise detrimental 
to her sanctity, for he was a concealed heretic and had not as yet 
been publicly condemned by the Church. It is thus we read of St. 
Jane Frances de Chantal, foundress of the Order of the Visitation, 
and of St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Order of Sisters of Charity 
and of the Congregation of Lazarists, that they both held communi- 
cation with the Jansenists as long as their errors were secret. This 
they did in order to convert them. But when they published hereti- 
cal works, as the “ Augustinus,” St. Vincent was the first to call for 
their condemnation, and warned every one against them. {Ana- 
lecta j. p.) 


St. Clare Disputes with Heretics. 13 1 

sure that her suspicions were well grounded, and at the 
same time to render the poison less dangerous by show- 
ing up its true nature, she sought in her confessions and 
conferences with him to prolong the discourse more 
than usual. One day she said to him: “ Please tell me, 
father confessor, why has God so disposed matters that 
a soul can never enjoy true and lasting peace in this life. 
Let it have arrived at ever so high a degree of perfection, 
it is nevertheless disturbed, its zeal is inflamed, and it 
grows impatient at seeing the offences committed against 
the divine majesty.” Father John replied: “Ido not 
understand what you mean. I know a person who has 
already for four years enjoyed real peace, and there is 
nothing that can disturb him.” Clare said: “ If this 
man were a Christian, would he not be disturbed at see- 
ing God offended?” “No,” replied her confessor, “for 
true peace consists in allowing one’s self to be changed 
or disturbed by nothing whatsoever.” “That is not 
possible,” replied Clare. “ Go and give that man a blow 
on the head with a stone, and then come and tell me if 
he be not disturbed.” “ There is no doubt,” replied 
Father John, “ that whoever has feeling must be annoyed 
at such an offence, in spite of himself, and even show 
signs of it.” “This is exactly what I wanted you to ad- 
mit,” said Clare. “ But how can you maintain that that 
person enjoys true peace who is annoyed at a trifling 
injury done himself, but is not at all troubled at the in- 
sults offered to his Lord and God ? The soul that shows 
no sign of grief for the sins committed against its 
heavenly Father, but is wholly indifferent to them, is 
not living but dead; because if God be the life of the 
soul, how can it not be alive to the insults offered Him, 
while it resents those offered even to the body? Pardon 
me, my father; you yourself are the one that imagines 
you have peace, but you do not perceive that you are at 
war with your Creator. Seek for other peace than this, 
if you do not wish to experience eternal torments. Put 


Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


aside this shameful doctrine with which in your too great 
credulity you have allowed yourself to become imbued, 
and believe this poor nun who desires your salvation.” 
This was the means which God made use of to achieve a 
triumph of His grace. Father John instantly confessed 
his error, declared that no one had ever before laid the 
truth before him with such force, made a recantation, 
did penance for his fault, and promised to be more care- 
ful in future and to keep away from certain persons — a 
promise which he faithfully kept. The Saint rejoiced at 
this signal triumph, but she rejoiced in the Lord, and 
with the liveliest gratitude referred to Him all the glory 
of it. The fact that Clare was instrumental in rescuing 
such important prey from eternal death could not but 
excite against her the hatred and vengeance of hell. 
The powers of darkness persecuted her and her religious 
with the most frightful temptations; but all their efforts 
were vain, for God protected them. The demon went 
so far as to appear to the Saint, whom he specially 
hated, in visible form; but this only served to show still 
better the profound faith and unshaken constancy of 
our heroine, for she quickly drove him away with vic- 
torious contempt. The fiend withdrew, but with hostile 
intentions, and afterwards succeeded in awakening in 
the breasts of certain persons their ancient feelings of 
dislike for the Saint and her religious family. All his 
efforts, however, resulted differently from what he ex- 
pected, and succeeded rather in augmenting God’s glory 
and the merit of those souls who were persecuted for the 
sake of justice. In the mean time the Saint kept con- 
stant watch over the plots of the heretics; and though she 
could not raise her voice in public to bring back to the 
faith those who had been perverted and to warn the in- 
cautious, she made continual use of her solicitations, her 
prayers, and her influence to induce the ministers of the 
Gospel to preach the Catholic doctrine both in public 
and in private in opposition to those dangerous innova- 


133 


St. Clare s Spirit of Prophecy . 

tors. Through her means many abandoned their errors, 
others were saved from falling into them by being made 
more cautious, and Clare’s native place was kept free 
from heretical contagion. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 



St. Clare’s Spirit of Prophecy. 

OD, WHO gives being to all things, who 
maintains them in existence and governs 
them, who in His eternity has all things 
present before Him, and who holds in His 
power the hearts of men — He alone knows the future as 
clearly as He knows the past. But God has been often 
pleased to communicate His knowledge of future events 
to certain privileged and holy souls. The time was to 
come, according to the Prophet Joel, when God would 
so pour out His spirit that not only the sons but also 
the daughters of the people of God would prophesy. 
That time was the coming of the Messias. In point of 
fact, the God-Man had scarcely taken flesh in the womb 
of the Virgin Mother, when that Mother uttered the 
sublime prophetic canticle, the Magnificat. Mary’s 
cousin Elizabeth likewise prophesied, and the holy 
widow Anna in the temple, and the four daughters of 
Philip; and the spirit of prophecy has never since been 
wanting in the true Church. God likewise bestowed on 
Clare the gift of prophecy in reward for her heroic con- 
stancy in defending the faith, and in testimony of her 
spotless sanctity. The proof of this are the many events 
which she foretold and which happened exactly as she 
predicted them. Clare had predicted, four years before, 
that those heretics of whom we spoke in the preceding 
chapter would reappear in new disguises in Umbria, 
and she warned her nuns to be on their guard against 


134 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

them. And when the time foreseen by her had arrived, 
she called her nuns together and told them that on such 
a day two of those heretics would come to their convent 
clad in the garb of religious, and added that she had 
seen one of these in the form of a hog and the other in 
the disguise of a wolf. They came as she foretold; but 
she unmasked them and put them to confusion, and 
then told them with evangelical boldness never again 
to dare approach her convent. On another occasion 
she warned her religious that on a certain day which 
she named a person would come to the convent, who, 
under pretext of spirituality, would endeavor to lay 
snares for their virginal purity. In the difficult conclave 
held at Perugia on the death of Benedict XI. many per- 
sons were extremely desirous that the choice of the car- 
dinals should fall on the bishop of Sutri. When Clare 
heard this she said that their wishes would not be real- 
ized, and that, contrary to all expectations, a foreigner 
would be elected. This came to pass, for the bishop of 
Bordeaux was elected pope, and took the title of 
Clement V. He it was that afterwards transferred the 
papal residence to Avignon in France. She also foretold 
the unexpected elevation of her bishop, Nicholas Al- 
bertino, to the dignity of cardinal, and the deposition 
from the cardinalate of James Colonna during the pon- 
tificate of Boniface VIII., and his restoration to that dig- 
nity under Clement V. She told Sister Catherine, one 
of her nuns, who was excessively lamenting a slight ill- 
ness of one of her brothers who was a religious, that she 
would never again see him in life. He afterwards died 
of that illness, and his sister never saw him again. A 
certain nun, named Sister Matthiola, had been elected, 
very much against her will, abbess of the convent of St. 
Paul in Montefalco, and sent a message to the Saint re- 
questing her to recommend her to God. Before the 
messenger commenced to deliver the message, Clare, 
anticipating, said: “Go back to Sister Matthiola and tell 


i35 


St. Clare s Spirit of Prophecy . 

her to be of good cheer, for within three days she will 
be comforted as she desires.” The prediction was ful- 
filled, for on the third day the Superioress accepted the 
Sister’s resignation. One day the Saint was conversing 
on spiritual matters with two young girls in presence of 
some of her nuns. One of these girls paid greater at- 
tention to what she said than the other, and from this 
the Sisters were disposed to conclude that the first would 
become a nun. But the holy Abbess said: “She who 
pays more attention will remain in the world, and the 
other will enter the convent.” It happened a few days 
afterwards just as she foretold. 

A certain Margaret Filippangeli, of Spoleto, who was 
on her way to Assisi to satisfy her devotion, stopped first 
at Montefalco that she might make a visit to St. Clare. 
The Saint told her that she would experience great 
spiritual consolations in Assisi, but that she would have 
a sad return. The event corresponded to the prediction; 
for Margaret experienced in the church of Portiuncula 
extraordinary interior consolations, but was seized with 
a fever, so that she returned home with great difficulty. 
Another native of Spoleto, named Petruccio Tommasi, 
had a dissolute son, whom he recommended to the 
prayers of the Saint. Clare spent the whole night in 
prayer that she might gain that soul to God. On the 
following morning she predicted that this youth would 
quit the world and devote himself to the service of God 
in the Order of St. Francis. Her prediction was fulfilled 
within a few days. She also foretold the unexpected 
arrival of Father Aegidius, of whom we made mention 
previously; and when he knocked at the convent-gate, 
she remarked, to the great astonishment of the Sisters, 
that that was Father Aegidius. She also announced to 
her nuns the arrival of a devout pilgrim from Carca- 
sonne in Languedoc, by name Margaret, who had set 
out from her native country to visit the holy places at 
Rome, and who passed through Montefalco and called 


136 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

at the convent of the Holy Cross the very day and hour 
foretold by our Saint. Clare saluted her by name, 
treated her with the utmost charity, and conversed with 
her for a long time on spiritual subjects, speaking in her 
own language, so that the nuns who heard her were 
astonished at finding that their holy Abbess had, in ad- 
dition to her other endowments, the miraculous gift of 
tongues. 

Through this infused spirit of prophecy God frequently 
caused her to penetrate the secrets of hearts, especially 
with regard to the nuns entrusted to her care. Hence 
it happened that she often said in their chapter-meetings: 
“ My Sisters, some one amongst us has committed a fault 
and does not accuse herself of it because it is hidden.” 
If this prudent hint did not produce immediate effect, 
she generally added a charitable and secret correction. 
Not only did she know the hidden defects of others, but 
she likewise knew their secret good actions. This gift 
of the Saint was so well known in the convent that the 
religious used to say to one another: “ Let us be very 
careful, for the Lord reveals everything to our Abbess.” 
We shall confine ourselves to one or two instances out 
of the many that we could adduce in proof of Clare’s 
knowledge of secret things. The abbot of St. Erasmus, 
in the neighborhood of Cesi, was in doubt as to Clare’s 
prophetic spirit, of which he had heard much, and wished 
to go to Montefalco that he might get better informed 
on the subject. Arriving at the convent, he asked to see 
the Abbess, and after a brief salutation wished to pass 
for the abbot of St. Julian. The Saint said to him : “ You 
are not the abbot of St. Julian, but of the abbey of the 
sons of Signor Ruggiero.” These were in fact the foun- 
ders of the abbey of St. Erasmus. She then went on to 
tell the abbot of the various events in his life, which she 
related with such accuracy that he was completely as- 
tonished and fully convinced that she was divinely en- 
dowed. As he rose to depart, he begged the Saint to 


i37 


•5V. Clare s Spirit of Prophecy . 

give him some salutary advice. She said to him: “Give 
up that sin to which you are addicted; otherwise God 
will punish you.” The sin was hidden, but he knew 
now that there was no use trying to hide it from Clare; 
he accordingly admitted it with heartfelt sorrow, and 
went away witli a firm resolution of amending. A cer- 
tain Father James Gonzio, a Lector in Sacred Theology 
of the Order of St. Francis, had been for a long time 
tempted to leave his Order, but had kept the temptation 
hidden from every one till the idea struck him to make 
it known to Clare. He accordingly went to see her 
and had a long conversation with her, but still had not 
the courage to make known his temptation. He was on 
the point of leaving, when the Saint asked him why he 
did not make known to her what he intended doing. He 
answered: “I have told you all.” The Saint replied: 
“Sit down, brother, and listen to my words. You are 
much tempted by the devil, and are already thinking of 
quitting the Order which you have selected.” Although 
he blushed at her remarks, he seemed at first disposed 
to deny what she attributed to him; but being checked 
by the Saint and convinced that she knew, he admit- 
ted all, grew repentant of his intention, and made a firm 
resolution to persevere to the end in the Order which he 
had entered. Father Francis, the brother of St. Clare, 
had been sent by his superiors to some place far away 
from his home. False charges were there made against 
him to his superiors, and he was imprisoned, but freed 
after three days’ confinement. Though the distance was 
very great, Clare knew of his imprisonment and libera- 
tion, and the time of both the one and the other, at the 
very instant they took place, and told the religious of 
her convent about them. As she was once rapt in ecstasy, 
she was heard by her nuns to cry out: “ Fly, Brother 
James! Fly, Brother Thomas!” When she returned to 
herself the nuns asked her what was the meaning of her 
crying out thus and naming those two religious. She 


1 38 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

answered: “ Know that both these religious have been 
basely betrayed by some bad men in the convent of Col- 
fiorito.” It was afterwards learned that the facts were 
exactly as she stated. 

God was still further pleased to reveal to His beloved 
servant the state of many souls that had passed from this 
life. Clare was still living in the hermitage, and of the 
tenderest age, when a certain Mascio of Pazzi came to 
Blessed Johanna to consult her on a question. He wished 
to know if he were obliged to execute the will of his dead 
wife. Before she gave an answer, Blessed Johanna told 
her sister to have recourse to prayer for light. Clare 
obeyed willingly, and as she prayed the dead woman ap- 
peared to her enveloped in flamed, imploring her to pray 
for her and to see that her pious legacies were carried 
out. This was done on account of the revelation made 
to our Saint. Some years afterwards Blessed Johanna 
herself died, and Clare had the great consolation of see- 
ing the soul of her beloved sister ascend to heaven three 
days after her precious death. A little later on, the soul 
of Sister Andriola appeared to her at the very moment 
when she was ascending from purgatory to heaven in 
company with other holy virgins, and thanked her for 
the care she had shown for her eternal salvation. That 
Pucciarello who had been a persecutor of her convent, 
and who was converted through the influence of Clare, 
appeared to her after death to ask her for her efficacious 
aid in the other life also, and obtained it. Another time 
Clare saw Jesus Christ as it were in the act of condemn- 
ing a certain Cetto of Spoleto to eternal death. It seemed 
to her that she interposed her tears and prayers, and the 
Sovereign Judge commuted the sentence into one of long 
exile in purgatory. It was only on the following day 
that word came that Cetto was dead, and the Saint has- 
tened to recommend his soul to the prayers of her com- 
munity. It was still further noticed that she seemed to 
be aware of the state of the holy souls in purgatory; and 


139 


St. Clare s Spirit of Prophecy . 

on Fridays in the chapters she was wont to recommend, 
sometimes a departed Sister, sometimes a benefactor, to 
the prayers of the religious, or else she invited them to 
praise and thank God for the happy transition of some 
soul to the state of everlasting happiness. 

In virtue of the same heavenly spirit, Clare was able to 
discover the many snares laid for herself and her con- 
vent by the demons. By this gift she saw how her soul 
was made the target of the infernal shafts, and she re- 
cognized the Prince of Darkness, though disguised as 
the Saviour Himself, when he strove to lead her into the 
heresy of the Beghards. She foresaw the assault which 
the tempter was preparing to make on her companion, 
Sister Johanna Aegidia; wherefore, that she might not 
succumb, she exhorted her to come and live in the same 
cell with herself for the six months during which the 
temptation lasted. Sister Johanna obeyed, and soon saw 
how wise was the precaution of Clare; for she no sooner 
went forth from the cell of the Saint than the temptations 
assaulted her, and left her the moment she re-entered. 
At the end of six months they left her altogether. This 
event occurred during the last years of Clare’s life, at a 
time when she was grievously suffering, not only from 
extreme and almost uninterrupted bodily infirmities, but 
also from the fierce assaults of the demon. About the 
same time the nuns were one day engaged in prayer, 
when they were frightened by a terrible noise at the con- 
vent-gate. The Saint recognized this as an effort of the 
Evil One to disturb them at their prayers, and told them 
they had nothing to fear. When they examined the 
place afterwards, nothing could be seen; but the encou- 
raging words of their Abbess allayed their fears. A like 
occurrence took place shortly after, about midnight; and 
this time the Saint recognized the infernal enemy from 
her sick-bed and told the infirmarian. The latter, how- 
ever, was incredulous and went to the door, but soon re- 
turned ice-cold and shivering with terror. Many other 


140 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

apparitions of the Evil One and wiles employed by him 
against the Saint are recorded, all of which were dis- 
covered and made fruitless by her precautions; but we 
pass them over as being of little use. We merely re- 
mark that Clare always employed her gift of penetration, 
and indeed all her other gifts, for the sole purpose of 
preserving herself and her religious against falling into 
sin; and in this way she greatly facilitated their advance 
along the path of virtue. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

Visions and Ecstasies of St. Clare. 

LESSED are the peacemakers; for they shall 
be called children of God. Blessed are 
the clean of heart; for they shall see God." 
So spoke our divine Redeemer in His Sermon 
on the Mount. Moses had a clean heart and was the 
mildest of men; therefore did he merit to see God as far 
as man can see Him while in this world and without the 
light of glory, and also to be admitted to friendly con- 
verse with the Divine Majesty itself. After him many 
holy prophets held communications with the Divinity 
and had visions, for which reason they were called 
Seers . But in the law of grace innumerable are the 
saints with whom God has been pleased to hold commu- 
nication in this manner; and amongst these our Saint 
holds a distinguished place. We have already shown how 
great was her meekness during the whole course of her 
life, the end of which we are now rapidly nearing; and 
we have especially admired this virtue in her when speak- 
ing of her charity, her patience, and her fortitude in the 
midst of trials, contradictions, persecutions, and infirmi- 
ties. Her singular purity of heart, too, has been suffi- 
ciently established; for we have seen that from her very 
childhood she never deviated from the pure path of 




Visions and Ecstacies of St. Clare. 141 

sanctity. We shall here remark, merely in a passing 
way, that her purity was so great, that the fifteen con- 
fessors who were her spiritual guides during her entire 
life, and who thoroughly knew the state of her con- 
science, attested that they had never found in her a 
grave fault. And the most learned of them affirmed that 
in a general confession which she made to him he could 
see nothing but one constant act of perfect charity. To 
see the truth of this we need only call to mind the rigor- 
ous penances she imposed on herself for having once ac- 
cidentally looked on the face of a man, and for having 
broken silence by speaking with her mother when she was 
only a child. So great was the horror which she enter- 
tained for even the slightest offence against God, that she 
apprehended sin even in involuntary things, and deplored 
them as though they were grave defects. It was to guard 
against sin that she directed her great macerations of her 
flesh and her uninterrupted prayers. 

Among the many great gifts which God bestowed on 
the Saint, her gift of prayer was remarkable. This gift, 
though hidden, is more important than any other gra- 
tuitous gift, because it is the immediate vehicle of all 
the divine communications. We have already spoken of 
those prodigies of divine love, those internal impulses 
and sweet fragrances from heaven, which attracted her 
to the church of St. John the Baptist and to the hermit- 
age of her sister. We have likewise spoken of the appa- 
ritions which she had in her early years, and of the con- 
solations which her pure soul enjoyed up to the twentieth 
year of her age. Even during the eleven years of her 
interior struggle her loving divine Spouse was wont to 
comfort her with visions from heaven; and, on occasion 
of her morning prayers, she was frequently rapt in ecs- 
tasy, so that she remained for a long time insensible to 
all earthly things. These ecstasies usually came upon 
her after receiving Holy Communion or after hearing 
Mass, and sometimes lasted an hour, but oftener two 


142 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

hours. This continued during the whole course of her 
eleven years of spiritual dryness, and during the nine 
years of her recovered peace. Sometimes they lasted for 
days, nay, months, with the exception of those few hours 
which were necessary for the fulfilment of her external 
duties. Whenever those ecstasies, which deprived her 
of the use of her senses, lasted so long, the religious, 
fearing lest she should die for lack of nourishment, were 
accustomed to put in her mouth some nutritive liquid; 
but of this she never partook. Her appearance varied 
on these occasions; for at times her countenance wore a 
mortal paleness, but it was usually so joyful and re- 
splendent that the nuns took delight in contemplating 
it. 

When she made her profession of the rule of Holy 
Father Augustine, Jesus appeared to her in the form of 
a youth of surpassing beauty, and taking a wreath of 
flowers from His own head He placed it on hers, as a 
symbol of the new espousals she contracted with Him by 
her profession. But the greatest of all these divine com- 
munications, at least in point of duration, was that which 
commenced on the feast of St. John the Evangelist, 
towards the end of the following year, and lasted almost 
continuously for four successive months. On that day 
she was with her Sisters in the oratory when it occurred 
to her to speak to them on the great mystery of the In- 
carnation. She commenced to speak, but suddenly 
stopped and went away with a joyful and smiling coun- 
tenance to a remote cell, where, languishing with love, 
she abandoned herself to the sublime contemplation of 
that ineffable mystery, swooned away, and finally fell 
into a perfect ecstasy. In this state the nuns found her; 
but they did not like to disturb her mystic slumber for 
some hours, till at last, when the night was well advanced, 
they deemed it advisable to carry her to her own bed. 
The Saint then spoke, and showed that she had returned 
to her senses, but to senses that seemed dead to all 


Visions and Ecstasies of St. Clare . 143 

earthly things and alive only to the things of God. She 
remained in this state almost till the month of May, so 
that whenever heavenly things were spoken of in her 
presence she instantly became ecstatic and immovable. 
The nuns, fearing lest she should die while in that state, 
resolved not to mention these subjects any more in her 
hearing. They also requested some children who were 
in the habit of singing hymns in the neighborhood of 
the convent to desist, as their singing produced a like 
effect on her. Her ecstasies were of longest duration on 
the feasts of Our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, and of 
those saints whom she honored as patrons. They usu- 
ally commenced some days before the feast and continued 
with rare intermissions for some days after. She fell 
into an ecstasy once on Christmas Day, and remained so 
long in it that the Sisters, fearing she would die, thought 
to bring her to herself by cutting her hair very close. 
Sister Mathiola, whilst performing the operation, inad- 
vertently cut the Saint’s ear, but she was wholly insen- 
sible to it. And how many times was she not entranced 
when she heard discourses on God, the passion, or such- 
like subjects ! Before Sister Catherine had become a 
religious, she had a conversation on the passion one day 
with the Saint; the very mention of the subject was 
enough to cause her to lose her senses, so that she had to 
be carried away by the nuns from the speaking-grate, 
whilst Catherine thought she was dead. One day that 
Father Paul put to her in the confessional a question 
which called to her mind the pure love of God, she 
had scarcely answered the question when she swooned 
away from the effects of that very love. Margaret of 
Carcasonne, whose name we mentioned before, and who 
had several times held spiritual conferences with Clare, 
affirmed that she always saw her close the conversation 
in raptures and with a shining countenance. An ecstasy 
of considerable length was that into which she fell on the 
feast of the Epiphany and which lasted till the feast 


144 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

of the Purification. The occasion of it was a feel- 
ing of the most profound humility which she experi- 
enced, and which made her deem herself the vilest and 
most ungrateful of creatures, and capable of every crime, 
so that she loudly begged God for mercy. This moved 
God to call her in a vision before His judgment-seat, 
where He showed her the rigor of His judgments. Clare 
obtained here a full knowledge of all her defects, as also 
of her good works, in which, however, she saw nothing 
but imperfection, a circumstance which filled her soul 
with terror. She also saw a wretched soul dragged 
amidst the horrible howlings of the devils into the depths 
of hell. She was then called to the contemplation of the 
glory of the Saints. This she saw under the figure of a 
city which lay upon a high mountain, and in which God 
dwelt with His elect. From this city issued forth splen- 
dors that irradiated the entire mountain and reached 
even to herself, so that she understood more clearly than 
ever the surpassing beauty of virtue. She heard there 
angelic melodies and a voice which said: “You shall 
come hither, but you have yet fifteen days to wait.” The 
Saint understood by this that she had yet fifteen years to 
live. 

Finally, on the feast of the Purification, God sent her 
a heavenly manna which strengthened her ; and thus 
ended that long ecstasy, which, however, appeared to 
her quite short. In the following year, on the recur- 
rence of the feast of the Nativity, the Saint fell into an 
ecstasy after Mass, and was heard to exclaim: “Let us 
all ascend !” When she returned to herself she said in 
confidence to Sister Agnes that God had made Himself 
known to her in a special manner through His creatures, 
and had thereby filled her heart with a wonderful sweet- 
ness. The year after, as she was preparing herself, ac- 
cording to her custom through the entire Advent, to 
receive the Infant Jesus, she was rapt in ecstasy every 
night, and saw while in that state some explanation o£ 


Visions arid Ecstasies of St. Clare. 145 

the profound mystery of the Incarnation. She was 
taught the prophecies which preceded it, the manner in 
which it took place, and the benefits which flowed from 
it. When Christmas again returned, she had a still 
more extraordinary vision. She saw in the midst of a 
broad and brightly illuminated street, which led even to 
the throne of the Eternal, the stable of Bethlehem, and 
the Child Jesus within, lying on some hay and receiving 
the adoration of His Virgin Mother and St. Joseph. 
She saw likewise a multitude of angels descending from 
Heaven and chanting the song of praise, “ Glory to God 
in the highest,” which they sang for the first time at the 
birth of the world’s Redeemer; and when she herself 
was invited to take part in the chorus, she joined her 
voice to the angelic melodies. The truth of this fact is 
testified to by Sister Aegidia, who, astonished at the 
sweetness of the Saint’s song, begged her to explain it, 
and obtained what she sought. 

It is something wonderful that the Saint enjoyed these 
ecstasies, these clear, supernatural visions, during the 
eleven years of her dark spiritual dryness. But it was 
when the years of this sad, gloomy conflict had ended 
that God wished to give her a foretaste of the reward 
due to her great victories by bestowing on her the gift 
of prayer in its most elevated form. It was then that 
her soul rushed, as it were, to the bosom of its God; 
saw, as in a mirror of the clearest crystal, His infinite 
perfection, His greatness, and His profound mysteries; 
understood clearly the expressive language in which He 
communicates Himself to holy souls; and experienced 
the fond caresses of divine love with such sweetness that 
she seemed absorbed in an ocean of heavenly delights. 
It is not to be wondered at that during those last nine 
years of her life, in which the soul of Clare tended 
serenely towards Heaven, raised above itself and closely 
united to God, despite the annoyance of the demon and 
her maladies, the divine communications became so 


146 Life of St. Clare of Mo 7 itefalco. 

familiar to her. Let us cast a hasty glance at the little 
which has been handed down to posterity on this matter. 
In the second year after the recovery of her peace of 
soul she was raised to such a high degree of vision that 
she buried herself, as it were, in the mystery of the Most 
Holy Trinity. She saw this mystery within herself, and 
herself in it, and rejoiced with an unspeakable, heavenly 
joy. Her beautiful soul longed just then to shake off 
the fetters and weight of its mortal body, which it aban- 
doned to such a degree that that body remained immov- 
able for days. It was thought that this was a natural 
infirmity, and the physicians were summoned; but they, 
struck by the novelty of the case, after a serious exami- 
nation, and finding that every eifort to restore her to 
consciousness was useless, were obliged to confess that 
her insensibility did not proceed from natural causes. 
One day among others the nuns led her to an open place 
to give her some relief; but Clare, after thanking them 
for their kindness, begged them to bring her back to her 
cell. Scarcely had she entered there and been placed on 
her bed when suddenly, as though she had been intro- 
duced by the Spouse of the Canticles into His mystic 
wine-cellar, filled more than ever with divine love, she 
broke forth amid unusual movements and extraordinary 
joy into the expression: “Let me go, let me go; and do 
Thou lead me with Thee !” When she was placed sitting 
up in bed she said: “ Everything is on fire with the love 
of God; and you, Sisters, what are you doing?” She 
then commenced to sing sweetly some loving and devout 
words, and was heard to discourse with the Madonna 
and the saints as though they were present at her bed- 
side. On the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, 
five years before her death, as she was meditating on the 
many imperfections of her whole life, she felt great sor- 
row for them, and then approached the altar to receive 
Holy Communion. After receiving she fell as usual into 
an ecstasy, and then had the following vision. She saw 


Visions and Ecstasies of St. Clare . 147 

the divine holiness represented under the symbol of a 
tree which was absolutely devoid of crookedness and 
against which she was leaning. She saw also the divine 
immensity, in which she saw herself in God and God in 
herself. At that instant she seemed to herself to have 
received from God the gift of equanimity, or evenness 
of soul, whereby she was able to remain the same in 
every event, unchanged amid honors and disgrace, for 
she saw clearly her own nothingness in comparison with 
God’s greatness. During the apparition the Sisters heard 
her discoursing as though she were inebriated with 
heavenly delights.* On Christmas Day she saw herself 

* The fact that St. Clare frequently communicated to her Sisters a 
knowledge of the extraordinary favors which God bestowed on her is 
in nowise incompatible with her heroic humility. “The upright 
friend,” says St. Augustine, “conceals nothing; he makes known 
his soul, as did Christ the mysteries of His Heavenly Father.” She 
gloried in the Lord. It is thus St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corin- 
thians glories in his graces and in his elevation to the third heaven. 
He says, too, that he labored more than others, but immediately 
added, “still not I, but the grace of God with me.” The Saint was 
further led to this through a desire to edify her religious and through 
the impulse of the Holy Ghost. Thus we read in the Acts of the 
Apostles that Paul and Barnabas made known the conversion of the 
Gentiles and the miracles which God had wrought through them. St. 
Bernard related to his brethren what happened to him in his inner 
life every day, and made known to them the gifts bestowed on him 
and the relations made to him in order to encourage them to walk 
with zeal along the path of perfection. St. Francis of Assisi made 
known to his brethren the stigmata he had received and the vision 
which accompanied the impression of them. St. Hildegarde pub- 
lished in the books which she composed an account of the divine 
communications made to her, and her writings have received the ap- 
probation of Eugene III., Anastasius IV., and Adrian IV. St. 
Augustine wrote and published an account of his wonderful conver- 
sion. These and other examples, which might be easily adduced, 
prove that a divine impulse moved the Saints to make known, not- 
withstanding their great humility, their supernatural gifts that others 
might profit by them. This is especially true of the founders of 
Religious Orders and of Superiors, who need to give edification to 
their spiritual children. {Analecta.') 


148 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

standing on a brilliantly illuminated street, from which 
she could discern the whole world, which seemed to her 
no bigger than the point of a needle. She also saw her 
divine Redeemer sitting in Heaven with His feet on the 
earth, blessing her province and especially her convent, 
and threatening sinners with chastisement. Another 
year, likewise on Christmas Day, she saw the Saviour 
descend from Heaven, approach her, and place himself 
in her arms. On another occasion she was praying to 
the Lord to crush the heretics of the time, when she 
passed from prayer to ecstasy. The Saviour appeared 
to her clad in a white garment and with His feet un- 
covered, but made no allusion to her prayer. When she 
prostrated herself before Him to kiss His feet, Jesus 
presented them to her, but they were covered with His 
garment, in order that she might better understand with 
what purity of soul His sacred Humanity should be 
loved. Clare kissed His sacred feet in the vision, and 
then her divine Spouse disappeared after giving her his 
blessing. It is undoubtedly true that these supernatural 
apparitions and ecstasies did not constitute the essence 
of Clare’s sanctity, but they were at the same time a fur- 
thering cause and an effect of it, and whilst proving it 
contributed to its adornment. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

Miracles worked by St. Clare. 

LTHOUGH St. Clare possessed in a high de- 
gree the art of turning to the spiritual ad- 
vancement of her neighbor the miraculous 
favors which God so lavishly poured upon 
her during her progress towards perfection, nevertheless 
these favors tended, by their very nature, to her own per- 
sonal glorification, and to her greater advancement in 
virtue. But there is one gift which is more stupendous 




Miracles Worked by St. Clare. 


149 


than all others and which excites more astonishment 
amongst men, and that is the gift of miracles. This gift 
is an emanation of that same divine power that created 
the universe, tends directly to the establishment of the 
faith and to the spiritual and temporal welfare of one’s 
neighbor, and is usually accorded by God to an heroic 
faith. Now, we have already shown in the proper place 
how heroic was the faith of St. Clare, so that we intend 
to view it at present only in the stupendous effects which 
it produced during her life, reserving to ourselves to re- 
count in another chapter the miracles worked by her 
after death. Sister Thomasia had an extremely severe 
internal sore in the neck, which threatened to prove mor- 
tal in a very short time. Trusting in the merits of Clare, 
she begged her one day most earnestly to make the sign 
of the cross upon her neck. The Saint complied with 
her request, and the sore instantly disappeared and never 
returned. Sister Johanna Aegidia had arrived at the 
last stage of consumption and was given over by the 
physicians. She was a religious of remarkable virtue, 
and bore a high reputation amongst her companions. As 
the latter felt deeply afflicted at the rapidly approaching 
loss of so dear and valued a friend, and saw, moreover, 
that there was no escape for her save by a miracle, they 
determined to have recourse to the efficacious interces- 
sion of their holy Abbess, and accordingly begged her 
to pray for Aegidia’s restoration to health. Clare was 
at first somewhat undecided, but finally replied, “ I pro- 
mise to do all that you ask of me, and with so much 
greater pleasure as I am convinced that Sister Johanna 
will be of great use to this convent after my death.” The 
Saint then betook herself to prayer, and after a few days 
Sister Johanna received the favor of a lasting cure. In 
addition to this the prophecy of Clare was fulfilled; for 
Johanna succeeded her as Abbess after her death. Sister 
Lucia Vitali was much annoyed by horrid phantoms, and 
by that species of diabolical persecution which theolo- 


150 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

gians call obsession, and which the Lord at times per- 
mits in order to test the virtue of certain pious souls. 
The unhappy Sister had recourse to Clare for help and 
begged her to pray for her. Her confidence was not 
misplaced; for Clare embraced her with the most sym- 
pathetic charity and covered her with her own cloak, so 
that she did not suffer afterwards at the hands of the 
demon. 

An oblate of the convent, by name Mascio, had been 
sent by the Saint to Gubbio, and was overtaken on the 
way by such a severe rain-storm that he lost his way and 
found himself in a wood at the approach of night. He 
was possessed, however, of a full confidence in the sanc- 
tity of his beloved Abbess, and turned to her in spirit, 
though far from her, recommending himself to her prayers 
and asking for help. Instantly there appeared to him a 
child of angelic mien, that led him to the right path and 
afterwards disappeared. Brancina of Montefalco, the 
mother of Sister Catherine, had a grandson named Van- 
nolo, who was troubled with the falling-sickness. She 
was advised by her own daughter to bring him to the 
convent and beg the holy Abbess to make the sign of the 
cross over him. The advice was followed, and the child 
was brought to the convent. Brancina then begged Sis- 
ter Thomasia, the portress, to carry the infant to the Saint 
that she might make the sign of the cross over him. The 
Sister hesitated a little at first through fear of being 
scolded, but finally consented. When she appeared be- 
fore Clare the latter said to her: “ Oh, you bad little crea- 
ture, may God forgive you!” Then, casting her eyes on 
the infant, she was moved with pity and placed on its 
" breast a small wooden cross. This was sufficient to work 
a thorough cure, as was proven from the fact that he 
never afterwards suffered from the disease. A certain 
Julian of Montefalco had been suffering for more than a 
month most severe pains in the foot. These pains pro- 
ceeded from a sore which quickly developed into a gan- 


Miracles Worked by St. Clare . 15 1 

grene, so that the physicians declared that the only re- 
medy for it was amputation. In the midst of his afflic- 
tion Julian had recourse to God and begged Him, through 
the merits of Sister Clare, to cure him or at least render 
him insensible to the amputation. Shortly after this 
prayer he fell asleep, and on awakening found himself 
completely cured, to the great astonishment of his physi- 
cians. We pass over several other miraculous favors ob- 
tained through the intercession of St. Clare, and shall 
further mention only two stupendous miracles which she 
was instrumental in working, namely, the raising of two 
persons from the dead. Two years before the Saint’s 
happy transition to the joys of paradise, a certain Pa- 
ganone of Montefalco was buried under a land-slide, 
while excavating in a sand pit near the convent, and lost 
his life. A man who witnessed the accident gave the 
alarm and immediately several persons ran to the place, 
and amongst them the two lay Sisters Illuminata and 
Angela. These latter returned quickly to the convent 
in order to procure shovels with which to remove the 
earth, and so brought word to the holy Abbess. She 
instantly assembled her religious, and begged of the 
Almighty with the liveliest faith and most ardent charity 
to restore the dead man to life, at least for a length of 
time sufficient to permit of his receiving the sacraments. 
After three hours’ hard work in removing the enormous 
mass of earth, the body of Paganone was recovered, but 
life was completely extinguished. The diggers, in com- 
pliance with his wife’s wish, carried the body to his own 
house, instead of to the church as they intended. Whilst 
the body lay there stretched out upon a table, Clare’s 
prayers pierced the heavens, and the dead man returned 
to life, to the great astonishment of all present. He then, 
as if conscious of the little time granted him and of the 
purpose for which it was granted, asked to see a priest 
in order to settle the affairs of his soul. After receiving 
the last sacraments he asked to have a notary called that 


1 5 2 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

he might settle his temporal affairs, and then calmly fell 
asleep again in the Lord. The other miracle, which is 
somewhat similar to the one just recorded, happened the 
year after. Sister Andriola died suddenly after a short 
illness without having received the last sacraments. As 
soon as the holy Abbess heard of the Sister’s demise she 
betook herself, although sick, to her cell, and there, stand- 
ing by the bedside of the departed, said to the nuns: 
“ Let us entreat the Lord to give back life to Andriola 
for a sufficient space of time to admit of her receiving 
the last sacraments.” She then commenced to pray, and 
enlivened her prayer with her heroic faith; and behold, 
Andriola returned to life! She remained alive for the 
space of three hours, long enough to provide for all the 
wants of her soul by receiving the sacraments, and then 
quitted this mortal life for ever without showing any 
signs of agony. So powerful is the lively faith of the 
saints ! 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

Last Illness and Death of St. Clare. 

T HAS been remarked in the preceding chap- 
ter that the gift of miracles is intended more 
for the benefit of others than of its possessor. 
This truth is illustrated in the case of our 
Saint; for whilst she obtained health for the sick by her 
intercession, she was herself continually sick; and whilst 
her prayers were bringing back the dead to life, she 
could not hinder herself from being offered in the fresh- 
ness of her years as a victim on the altar of the inexor- 
able destroyer Death. She prepared herself for this with 
the greatest resignation, happy in the thought that her 
life might be accepted by God as a propitiatory sacrifice 
for the sufferings of her neighbor, but doubly happy in 
the prospect of being able to satisfy her great thirst for 
suffering, to die with Jesus on the cross, and to be speed- 




Last Illness and Death of St. Clare . 153 

ily united with Him in the realm of bliss. Amongst the 
various diseases from which she suffered during her 
whole life, and especially in her last years, there was one 
which had become chronic, and that was a pain in the 
side and in the stomach. When she had reached the age 
of thirty-eight years this pain had increased to such an 
extent that she was no longer able to use her feet, and 
was consequently obliged to remain confined in her 
humble bed, from which she rose only at rare intervals 
and for a short time during the last two years of her life. 
She was happier in this state than others are in the en- 
joyment of perfect health; for she found there a wide 
field for the practice of patience, fortitude, humilitv, and 
obedience. This latter virtue she exercised in an heroic 
degree towards her physicians and attendants. In this 
way she made atonement for her imperfections and in- 
creased her merit in the sight of God. With reference 
to the exact observance of the virtue of obedience she 
deemed herself justified in making one exception; that 
was, she never permitted any one to touch her pure, 
virginal body, but she herself applied all the prescribed 
remedies. It seemed as though nothing else troubled 
her save the annoyance which she caused to the good 
religious that attended her. How can it be imagined 
that a soul which had been favored with divine commu- 
nications to such an extraordinary degree during life, 
and which had remained steadfast in the practice of 
heroic virtue amid so many trials and temptations till 
the palm of victory was already almost won, could have 
borne the sufferings of the last illness otherwise than in 
perfect conformity to the divine will ? But the time 
when her sufferings were to have an end was already 
nigh: the last year of Clare’s life was speeding on. Still 
the nuns were all solicitude to prolong her precious days, 
and called in physicians; others, too, came from different 
parts, and Cardinals Colonna and Orsini sent their own 
medical attendants from Rome. Some of these held a 


154 Life of St. Clare of Mont efalco. 

consultation with the attending physician of Montefalco, 
Signor Simon Giovannoli. The result of this consulta- 
tion was that remedies were applied which were entirely 
successful, so that the attending physician was able to 
give the positive assurance that the Saint had been cured 
of her corporal malady. He added, however, that he 
was in doubt as to whether or not she would succumb to 
the vehemence and frequency of her ecstasies. 

In the mean time the seventh of August came, and St. 
Clare was still confined to her bed, either because her 
disease had not yet entirely passed away or because it 
had returned. Of a sudden she fell into an ecstasy and 
was heard to utter the following words: “ My dear Sis- 
ters, why do you give yourselves so much trouble about 
this body of mine ? I can remain no longer with you in 
this world; Heaven expects me.” She then raised her 
eyes and arms to heaven, and continued: “ Behold, Holy 
Father Augustine, St. Francis, and the saints of heaven 
are calling me !” These words awoke a new fear in the 
hearts of the religious, lest they should lose their beloved 
Abbess, who had been to them a strong support in their 
troubles, and they had recourse again to the physician, 
begging him to try all possible remedies to save her. He 
replied: “ I have remedies only for natural diseases, and 
Clare’s disease is, as I have told you, not of this sort. If 
you succeed in stopping her frequent ecstasies she will 
get well. Endeavor to distract her by conversations on 
light subjects, and turn away her mind from the contem- 
plation of spiritual things by temporal cares and con- 
cerns, and carry her around here and there through the 
convent on a portable bed.” They did as he bade them, 
and on the following day caused a portable bed to be 
made, which they instantly brought to the cell of the 
Saint. The latter on seeing it smiled and said : “ The 
Lord be praised ! You have done well, Sisters, in obey- 
ing the physician; put me in that bed; I shall not be 
long in it.” The following day, the vigil of St. Law- 


Last Illness and Death of St. Clare. 155 

rence, the scene changed; for Clare saw appearing in her 
cell a great number of demons, who endeavored to 
frighten her by their hideous aspect and cause her to 
commit sin. She spoke boldly, however, to Sister Johanna, 
who was present, and said: “What are these persons 
doing here ? Send them away.” Sister Johanna wished 
then to mark her with the sign of the cross, but Clare said : 
“ My dear, why do you make the sign of the cross upon me? 
I have Jesus Christ crucified in my heart. You do well, 
nevertheless.” The feast of St. Lawrence was for Clare 
a real feast-day; for she spent it wholly raised above her- 
self and absorbed in God; and though the Sisters endeav- 
ored in various ways to distract her she was nevertheless 
insensible to everything. On this day she said, turning to 
Sister Johanna: “Let us all rejoice and sing the Te 
Deum laudamus” She then broke forth into a chant 
which was more angelic than human, and sweetly ex- 
claimed, as she finished this hymn of thanks: “Jesus 
Christ wishes me to be with Himself; Heaven is expecting 
me and is preparing to receive me. I would wish to in- 
vite the whole world to this truly magnificent nuptial- 
feast. O brotherhood of the saints, how desirable thou 
art!” In these and such-like ejaculations she spent the 
greater portion of that day. She was likewise heard to con- 
verse with the saints in terms of confiding affection, just 
as friend is wont to speak with friend. She then began to 
utter the most sublime thoughts on the mystery of the 
Holy Trinity, whilst her body was agitated with violent 
motions. Sister Johanna thought she was suffering from 
a fresh attack of the pain in her side, and quickly sought 
to apply the prescribed ointment; but the Saint stopped 
her, saying: “ What do you wish to do with that oint- 
ment ? Do you suppose that I am suffering from the 
‘pain in the side ? I do not feel it at all at present, Sis- 
ter.” When these movements had ceased, Clare com- 
posed herself that she might enjoy a little rest; but 
behold! the Demon appeared to her that he might make 


156 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 


a last effort to subdue her invincible soul. He strove to 
seduce her by promises of health, pleasures, riches, and 
honors; but she, animated by her strong faith, chased 
him away with these decisive words: “I care not,’ she 
answered him, “either for what you give or for what you 
take away. Five thousand years ago and more you 
were cursed by God. I, too, curse you. Away from me, 
Satan !” 

Sister Johanna, who heard these words, asked her if 
she was afraid. “Of whom should I be afraid,” replied 
Clare, “since I have my crucified Jesus within my 
heart?” She repeated these words in the presence of 
Sister Thomasia, who made the sign of the cross over 
her and encouraged her not to be afraid. Towards 
evening of the same day she dismissed the other Sisters, 
keeping with her only Sister Johanna. She was then 
heard to sing songs of indescribable sweetness, and to 
utter harmonious ejaculations, sighing after her heavenly 
country and her Jesus, the only object of her heart’s 
affections. She afterwards turned to Sister Johanna and 
said: “Jesus Christ, the friend of my soul, has told me 
that I must depart hence and come to Him; and my soul, 
inflamed with love for Him, can no longer remain in 
this world with you.” This absorption of the Saint's 
mind in the contemplation of the glory of paradise lasted 
for five days; that is to say, from the feast of St. Law- 
rence to that of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady; 
and during that time a circumstance occurred which 
deserves mention. Sister Agnes brought to the cell of 
the Saint the cross which the latter had received as a 
present from Cardinal James Colonna. Clare asked her 
why she brought it there, and the Sister answered that 
she had done so because it contained so many relics 
which she already knew. Thereupon the Saint replied: 
“ My sister, this cross is not in a fitting place here, and it 
is not necessary for me; for I hold my crucified Jesus 
within my heart.” During these five days she repeated 


Last Illness and Death of St. Clare . 157 

the assurance fully five times that she bore the Crucified 
in her heart; and it was noticed that when she pro- 
nounced these words, “ in my heart,” or “ within me,” 
she always accompanied them with a modulation of ex- 
traordinary affection. The morning of the feast of the 
Assumption came, and the Saint had her confessor 
brought to her, and made to him her last sacramental 
confession with such sorrow and weeping that he him- 
self wept. She then begged him to bring her the holy 
Viaticum, being certain, as she herself predicted and as 
really happened, that she would never again receive it 
in this life. Her wish was instantly complied with; but 
who can sufficiently describe the feelings, the affections, 
the upward boundings of her seraphic heart in this her 
last sacramental communion ? After receiving the 
Blessed Sacrament, she wished to be left alone for a long 
time, in order that no earthly object might rob her of a 
glance or a thought, and that she might give free vent 
to the current of her affections. Towards evening she 
caused the religious to be assembled round her, and 
delivered to them a brief but efficacious ascetic dis- 
course, exhorting them to regular observance and to the 
acquisition of perfection, finishing with the following 
words: “My beloved daughters and dearest Sisters, I 
offer up my life in union with the death of my Lord 
Jesus Christ. May you be all blessed of God even as I 
bless you! As the Lord calls me to eternal rest, I resign 
you all to His mercy. Blessed be all the pains which it 
has been His will that I should bear for your sake! I 
beg of you, my daughters, to conduct yourselves well. 
Be humble in heart, in word, in work; be obedient to 
her who will hold the position of superior after me; be 
patient in adversity; be united in charity; and act so 
that the Lord our God may be praised in you, and that 
the work which His mercy has wrought in you may not 
perish through your own fault.” She then raised her 
hand, and with the sign of the cross gave them her ma- 


158 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

ternal benediction. She afterwards sent for her con- 
fessor, asked him for Extreme Unction, and received it 
amidst the tears of her spiritual daughters with sentb 
ments becoming a saint. On the following day she 
requested to be carried to the oratory, that she might 
resign her spirit into the hands of God in that very 
place in which she had received so many heavenly 
favors. She had scarcely arrived there when her soul 
was so absorbed in the contemplation of heavenly things 
that she spent almost the entire day in a friendly con- 
versation with the angels and saints on the unspeakable 
joys of paradise. She was heard to exclaim: “ Bear me 
hence! Bear me hence! And tell the Blessed Virgin 
Mary to receive my soul in peace.” The physician who 
was present asked her whither she wished to be brought, 
and she answered: “To my Lord.” The nuns strove, 
by the advice of the physician, to divert her thoughts 
by speaking with her and stirring her up. When the 
Saint noticed this she said: “What do I say that dis- 
pleases you ? Do you believe, my daughters, that my 
thoughts are on the subjects of your conversation ? 
They certainly are not.” After a short time the Lord 
enwrapped her in a fresh ecstasy, and showed her the 
degree of glory destined for her. In a sudden transport 
of exuberant joy she strove to raise herself from her 
bed, and burst forth into the exclamation: “O Para- 
dise, thou art too beautiful! O Lord, this reward is too 
great!” She afterwards returned to the use of her 
senses and begged the nuns to recite for her the Divine 
Office, in order that the Lord might pardon her the 
faults she had committed in the recitation of the same 
Office. Father Francis, her brother, whom the Saint had 
sent for early in the morning, arrived towards sunset of 
the same day at Montefalco from Spoleto. On his ar- 
rival Clare had herself brought on her bed to the door 
of the convent, and, among other things, said to him: 
“Brother, I wish that you be satisfied with the will of 


Last Illness and Death of St. Clare. 159 

God. I recommend to you this convent; for I know 
that it will have need of your help after my death. But, 
as it is already late, go to your convent and return here 
to-morrow early, and bring our confessor along with 
you.” Father Francis departed in tears, and the Saint 
was carried back to the oratory, where she passed the 
night in uninterrupted union with God. Before day- 
break she was heard to repeat several times in presence 
of the Sisters: “ I wish to go to my God.” Then, turn- 
ing to Sister Johanna, she added: “ I can be with you 
no longer. Behold, my God calls me to Himself ! Be in 
peace; I desire to go to Him; I recommend to you these 
Sisters.” Having said this, she rested, or at least seemed 
to rest, for about an hour. The physician returned in 
the morning, and found the Saint with every appearance 
of health; and he assured Father Francis and the father 
confessor, whom he met on his way home from the con- 
vent, that the Mother Abbess was cured, because during 
the whole course of her illness he had never noticed 
such favorable symptoms as on that morning. On hear- 
ing this welcome news the two religious were on the 
point of returning to their own monastery, when they 
were overtaken by two lay Sisters whom the Saint had 
sent, requesting them to repair without delay to the 
convent. They did as requested, and had the consola- 
tion to find Clare no longer lying in bed, but sitting up. 
She immediately addressed her brother, and spoke with 
a strength of soul which overcame the weakness of her 
body, recommending him with earnest and forcible argu- 
ments to practise virtue and aim after evangelical per- 
fection, so that he might lead a holy life and be an 
example to others. When she had finished this exhorta- 
tion the two religious went away and the nuns entered. 
Clare gave to them likewise new and holy advice, 
and again imparted to them her blessing. When the 
Sisters looked upon the joyful countenance of their 
holy Abbess and listened to her clear and distinct voice, 


160 Life of Si. Clare of Montefalco. 

they could not persuade themselves that her death was 
so near. 

Father Francis and her confessor returned soon after; 
and when the former saw his sister sitting up in bed, 
with her countenance wearing an expression of joy and 
health, he felt greatly relieved, and said to her: “ Re- 
joice! you are cured.” The Saint answered him, smil- 
ing: “Yes, truly; I am now cured of all my infirmities, 
and my crucified Jesus knows it.” Having said this, 
she turned to her confessor and said: “ Father, I accuse 
myself of all the faults that I have committed during 
my whole life, and I ask pardon for them from the good- 
ness of my Lord.” She was silent for a moment, and 
then, raising her eyes to Heaven, and hearing the final 
summons of her heavenly Bridegroom, she uttered her 
last words: “Remain you all in union with God to 
whom I now go.” She remained thus with her eyes up- 
turned for some time, and the spectators saw descend- 
ing swiftly from on high a brilliant light which irradi- 
ated her entire countenance. They were astonished at 
the vision, and felt within themselves a sentiment of 
terror mingled with joy. The light shortly afterwards 
took the form of a globe and disappeared, and with it 
departed the fair soul of Clare, to enter into the haven 
of everlasting happiness. No one perceived at first that 
her soul had really departed, nor did her body show the 
least sign of being lifeless. The physician himself, who 
arrived just then, was for a long time deceived, and 
thought, as he looked upon her fair body, which was 
still so fresh and limber and in a sitting posture, with 
the eyes raised towards Heaven and the countenance 
beaming with joy, that the Saint had fallen into one of 
her usual ecstasies. He found out his mistake only 
after repeated experiments, and then told those present 
that Clare was really dead. At this announcement the 
assembled religious shed streams of tears over their great 
and irreparable loss. But their grief was softened when 


Glory with which God honored St. Clare . 1 6 1 


they looked upon her countenance which beamed with 
happiness, and thought upon that sovereign Good which 
they knew their beloved Mother was at that moment 
enjoying. They knew that she had passed from them 
into the bosom of God, to be their advocate with Him 
in the kingdom of His glory. And now her trials, her 
labors, her sufferings, her combats are at an end; her 
triumph is complete; and her virtue and sanctity have 
received their crown. She died during the pontificate 
of Clement V., in the forenoon of Saturday, August 17, 
in the year of Our Lord 1308, and in the fortieth year of 
her age. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

On the Glory with which God honored St. Clare after Death. 

LTHOUGH the body of St. Clare lies cold 
and immovable, still it can be said in a cer- 
tain sense that she still lives, or rather that 
her death is but a sleep. She lives in the 
incorruptibility of her remains, in the veneration paid 
her by the faithful, and in the working of so many 
miracles. If, according to the saying of the Holy Ghost, 
the just that are dead sleep in the dust of the earth to 
awake unto everlasting life, with how much greater rea- 
son may not this be said of Clare, who was eminently 
holy and just, and whose body, though immovable, is 
still fresh and uncorrupted after the lapse of many cen- 
turies, and like that of one who is calmly reposing, so 
that the spectator would be deceived by its appearance ? 
Those who were present were scarcely convinced of her 
death, when the news spread through the entire town, 
and quickly penetrated to every village and hamlet of 
the surrounding country. Every one said that a saint 
was dead. God was furthermore pleased to manifest in 
a supernatural manner to certain pious persons not only 
the death, but also the glory, of His servant. A nun of 




1 62 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

Spoleto, by name Bartoluccia, saw at the very hour at 
which the Saint died the Blessed Virgin Mary, accom- 
panied by a throng of heavenly spirits, coming to meet 
the soul of Clare, to unite it to her own train and lead 
it to the glory of Heaven. Another religious, an abbess, 
likewise of Spoleto, by name Sister Paula, saw at the 
hour above mentioned a soul hovering in the air sur- 
rounded with surpassing splendor, and at the same time 
heard a voice saying: “This is Clare of the Cross, who 
is just going to eternal life.” A certain Sister Cecilia, 
an abbess in Perugia, who had a great affection for our 
Saint while she was still in life, saw one day, as she was 
engaged in prayer with her nuns, a great light, whose 
sudden and unaccountable appearance caused all present 
to be astonished. At the same instant God gave the 
abbess to understand that Clare had departed to Heaven, 
and that the light they saw was a symbol of her actual 
glory. When she learned this she exclaimed: “ Sisters, 
let us rejoice in the Lord, for our Clare of Montefalco 
has passed to the glory of paradise.” Another pious re- 
ligious of Colfiorito had a like supernatural intimation of 
the happy death of the Saint, as had also the devout Bea- 
trice of Ugolino. In addition to these, the Saint herself 
appeared to many persons who practised devotion to- 
wards her. The account of these apparitions can be found 
in other biographies of St. Clare. We pass them over 
for the sake of brevity. 

Whilst the report of St. Clare’s death was being spread 
far and wide, the nuns were keeping watch at the bier 
of their dead Abbess in sadness and devotion, and were 
considering in what way they could give an honorable 
and distinctive burial to her remains. One amongst 
them expressed the view that a body which had been 
the companion of so holy a soul and the living temple 
of the Holy Ghost should be embalmed. Her view was 
unanimously adopted. Now it was necessary for this 
operation that the body should be cut open, and Clare’s 


Glory with which God honored St. Clare. 163 

pure virginal flesh had never been touched by the hand 
of man while she lived. In order, therefore, that the 
same could be said of her after death, they agreed that 
one of themselves should cut open the blessed remains. 
As they were deliberating to whose lot the task would 
fall, Sister Frances Ermanni of Foligno volunteered to 
perform the operation. On the night of the same Satur- 
day this Sister cut open the body with the assistance of 
Sisters Helen and Illuminata. In separating the en- 
trails she noticed that the envelope of the gall was white. 
She felt it with her hand, and found, to her great astonish- 
ment, that it contained, as we have already mentioned, 
three small round and hard objects, arranged in the 
shape of a triangle. She immediately communicated 
this remarkable circumstance to the two Sisters who 
were helping her. She then took the heart in her hand, 
and she and the other two Sisters were astonished at its 
extraordinary size. They deemed it advisable to lay it 
aside in a wooden dish, which they locked up in a chest 
for greater security. The other entrails were placed in 
an earthen vessel and buried in the same oratory in which 
the Saint died, alongside the altar, in which place it is 
believed that they still rest. 

The solemn burial services were to take place on the 
following day, which was Sunday. A great multitude of 
people had assembled from the town and the neighbor- 
ing villages and country in order to see the blessed re- 
mains of St. Clare, to obtain some relics of her, and to 
assist at her funeral. The clergy likewise came, and the 
magistrates of the town. The sacred offices commenced, 
and the holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered, if not for 
the repose of her soul, at least to render her due honors. 
When the funeral services were over, the nuns were not 
able to bury the body on account of the great number 
of persons that came to venerate it and to touch it with 
rosary-beads, pictures, and such like. They were conse- 
quently obliged to leave it exposed during the whole of 


164 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

the following day and for the forenoon of Tuesday. It 
was therefore exposed for three whole days; the first day 
in the convent chapel, and the two other days in the 
public church. Her angelic countenance was at last 
taken away from the gaze of the people, and her body, 
enclosed in a fitting coffin, was buried in an honorable 
place. It was in this way that Heaven and earth united 
to do honor to her who despised the glory of the world, 
and whose life was hidden with Jesus Christ in God. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Discovery of the Emblems of the Holy Mysteries of the Passion 
of Jesus in the Heart of St. Clare, and of the Symbol of the 
Holy Trinity in her Gall. 

HAVE now come to the point where we can 
verify what we remarked in the twentieth 
chapter concerning the impression of the in- 
struments of Christ's passion on the heart of 
St. Clare, and the three pellets found in her gall, which 
were a symbol of the Holy Trinity. This brings us back 
again to the operation of opening her body performed by 
the Sisters. The nuns who were present at this opera- 
tion seeing the extraordinary size of Clare's heart, and 
believing that this was not without some meaning, ac- 
quainted all the other Sisters of the matter. They gave 
the subject serious consideration, calling to mind the 
fact that the Saint had often remarked during her last 
illness that she bore her crucified Jesus in her heart. 
Sister Marina likewise reminded them that she had heard 
from the mouth of the Saint herself, seven years before, 
that the Redeemer had appeared to her in the guise of a 
pilgrim, bearing a cross on His shoulders, and said to 
her that He wished to plant it in her heart. Considering 
these things, they formed the resolution of opening the 
heart and embalming it, even though nothing miraculous 




Emblems Discovered in St. Clare s Heart. 165 

should be found in it. We narrate this matter just as it 
is recorded by Piergigli, who gives a most exact and mi- 
nute account of it, and whom I intend to follow in all I 
have to say. 

The same Sister Frances who had opened the body 
the day before undertook the task of cutting open the 
heart in the presence of Sisters Lucy, Catherine, and 
Margaret, who had been assigned to her both as assist- 
ants and witnesses. The chest in which the heart was 
locked up was accordingly opened, and the Sisters knelt 
in reverence before it. Sister Frances then took the 
heart in her hand, and cut it open with a razor. Nothing 
was at first seen, on account of the great quantity of 
blood; but Sister Frances felt with her finger that a ten- 
don extended through the centre of the heart. She sev- 
ered this tendon, and all saw, to their great astonish- 
ment, the figure of the Crucified, formed in flesh and in- 
tersected with veins, lying in a cavity which itself was in 
the shape of a cross. Sister Margaret, on seeing this, 
commenced to cry out, “Miracle !” and by her cries at- 
tracted all the other nuns to the spot. They, too, admired 
the work of God, and raised their voices in praise of the 
Lord and of His Saint. When Sister Johanna had re- 
covered from her astonishment she told Sister Frances 
that it would be well to institute a more careful exami- 
nation of the heart — a suggestion which was instantly 
carried out. This examination resulted in finding an- 
other tendon formed likewise on the inner wall of the 
heart. Observing this carefully, they found that it was 
exactly alike in shape to the lash with which Jesus was 
scourged at the pillar. At this sight their astonishment 
grew greater, and they gave fresh praise to God, the 
worker of such miracles. They made no further exami- 
nation that night, intending to institute a more careful 
investigation on the following day. In the mean time 
they collected the blood in a bottle and locked it up 
along with the heart in the same chest as before. On 


1 66 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

the following morning the fame of the miracle was 
spread through Montefalco, and the mayor of the city, 
who was a nobleman of the family of Giliberti, came to 
the convent of the Holy Cross together with his chan- 
cellor, the physician of the convent, and the Father 
Guardian of the Franciscan convent of Foligno, who hap- 
pened to be in Montefalco. When they arrived there, 
they were told by the nuns of the discovery of the sacred 
emblems, and the heart was shown them, together with 
the figures of the crucified Redeemer and the scourge. 
After a close examination they all agreed that the work 
was of God, and they concluded to send an account of 
the matter to the bishop of Spoleto. This was done on 
the same day. But the Demon, who was jealous of the 
glory of the Saint, sought to interfere with the work. 
To accomplish his designs, he suggested to a certain Fra 
Pietro, an adherent of the impious sect of the Fraticelli, 
heretics who understood well how to conceal their here- 
sy, to go to Spoleto and persuade the vicar-general that 
what was said of St. Clare’s sanctity and of the miracu- 
lous emblems found in her heart was false. He repaired 
thither the same day, Monday, and argued his cause so 
artfully that the vicar-general thanked him, and formed 
the resolution, with the consent of the bishop, of going 
instantly to Montefalco, in order to crush the novelty and 
punish the nuns for the alleged imposture. There is no 
counsel, however, nor power against God, who knows how 
to make use of the wickedness of men to further His 
own designs. Berengarius Donadei — such was the vicar- 
general’s name — was quite zealous in the cause which he 
had undertaken, and came to Montefalco on the following 
day. Having arrived there, he called together the most 
distinguished persons of the place, the parish priests, the 
religious, both Augustinians and Franciscans, theologi- 
ans, and doctors in law and in medicine. To these were 
added Monsignor Tignosi, of Rome, Cavalier Theodoric, 
of Orvieto, and Judge Bartholomew, of Perugia. With 


Emblems Discovered in St. Clares Heart . 167 

these he repaired to the convent, or rather to the inner 
oratory of the same. Having called the nuns together 
there, he gave them a solemn reprimand, accusing them 
of being rash, of having put in peril the honor of the 
bishop and of the Catholic faith itself, and threatened 
them with punishment. The religious endeavored to 
justify themselves; but their best justification was to 
present to him the heart of St. Clare, so that he himself 
might examine it and pass judgment on it. He refused 
disdainfully at first to look at it, but afterwards con- 
sented; and what was his astonishment to see for 
himself, the figures of the Crucified and the scourge! 
But what heightened his astonishment and added 
greater lustre to the triumph of the truth was that 
he himself and those with him discovered by their critical 
examination other emblems of the mysteries of the pas- 
sion; that is to say, the pillar, the crown of thorns, the 
three nails, the lance, and the reed with the sponge. 
These were represented with such realistic effect that the 
vicar- general, in touching the point of the lance and of 
the nails, was pierced by them as though they were of 
iron. They were so astonished that words failed them 
to express their thoughts, and, struck with the greatness 
of the prodigy, they confessed that it was the work of 
the Almighty. Berengarius himself changed his dis- 
dain into veneration and love, gave due praise to God, 
bore testimony to the truth and to the sanctity of Clare, 
and devoutly recommended himself to her intercession. 
All who were present instantly did the same. It was the 
opinion of the eminent persons present that publication 
should be given to those miracles for the glory of God. 
The vicar was of the same mind, and agreed that the 
people should be assembled to celebrate by public dem- 
onstrations the praises of God for the signal favors 
granted to the Saint. 

Before going away the vicar-general wished to proceed 
to the election of a new abbess. Sister Johanna Aegidia, 


1 68 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

who was a cousin of the Saint and an ardent imitator of 
her virtues, was elected. He also desired to obtain, be- 
fore his departure, reliable information concerning the 
holy life led by St. Clare; and after receiving incontro- 
vertible testimony regarding her extraordinary merits, he 
resolved to institute without delay the process for her 
canonization. This he did within a short time, as we 
shall soon mention. 

But as we are treating here of an extraordinary privi- 
lege, and one that is unique in its kind, we hope not to 
weary the devout reader if we give a more minute de- 
scription of the different instruments of the passion which 
were found in the heart of St. Clare. We have already 
remarked that the heart was noticed to be of extraordi- 
nary size — as large as the head of a new-born infant — and 
that it was divided into two parts, which were united 
only in the circumference. The figure of the Crucified 
was found in the right side of the heart, and that of the 
scourge in the centre of the left; between both was the 
pillar, and at its foot the crown of thorns; at the right 
side of the figure of the Crucified were the three nails, 
and under them the lance; and at the left side of the 
same was the reed with the sponge. They were made 
partly of fleshy matter and partly of muscular tissue, 
and impressed on the walls of the cavity in bas-relief 
with such skill, that when extracted they left the cavity 
smooth and without the least trace of laceration. Every 
part of the body could be clearly distinguished in the 
figure of the Saviour, which was of a pale white color, 
with the exception of the wound in the side, which was 
of a livid hue approaching to red. There was likewise 
discernible something which looked like a fine linen 
cloth, bound round the loins of the Saviour and attached 
to the lateral walls of the Saint’s heart. It is also worthy 
of observation that the figure of the Redeemer was de- 
tached from the flesh and united to the heart merely by 
a slender filament. The scourge was of hard muscular 


Emblems Discovered in St. Clare s Heart. 169 

tissue, thicker at both extremities than in the middle. 
At the lower extremity there was a band, which was 
somewhat broad but of fine texture, which represented 
the noose of the handle, serving at the same time to unite 
the scourge itself to the flesh from which it was other- 
wise detached. From the upper extremity of the scourge 
there extended five little nerves, closely intertwined, each 
one of which terminated in a small knot. These were 
of a livid hue, inclining to red, but the handle itself was 
white. The pillar, too, was of very hard muscular tissue, 
round in the middle, and joined to the flesh of the heart 
only in the base and summit by means of a few slender 
fibres. Around it ran another small nerve, which was 
thought to represent the cord with which the Redeemer 
was bound to the pillar. The crown of thorns was rep- 
resented by black interlaced nerves, from which other 
shorter ones stuck out, which were of a livid hue and 
exactly resembled thorns. This crown was joined to the 
flesh. The three nails were represented by three little 
nerves of a dark color, which hung from three fleshy 
threads, with this difference: that one which was longer 
was suspended, apart from the others, from a longer 
thread, and the other two, which were quite close to 
each other and of equal size, were suspended from 
shorter threads. The nerve which bore the figure of the 
lance was joined with the flesh only at the shaft, and 
protruded somewhat from its cavity as though it were in 
the act of striking. Finally, another nerve, which termi- 
nated in a group of small white nerves, was believed to 
represent the reed and sponge, from which the Jews 
sought to quench the thirst of the dying Jesus with vine- 
gar and gall. 

Let us now resume the thread of the narrative. 
Ater the departure of the vicar-general for Spoleto, the 
Sisters remembered the declaration of Sister Frances, 
that she had found three little pellets in the gall of the 
Saint. They asked their physician, the above-mentioned 


170 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

Simon Giovannoli, whether this could happen naturally. 
The physician answered that he would like to examine 
for himself the quality of these three hard substances. 
The nuns searched for them amongst the uncorrupted 
entrails, and presented to him the entire gall-bladder, 
which had been detached from the liver by Sister Fran- 
ces. The same Sister cut it open at the request of the 
physician, and there appeared three little balls of like 
size, shape, color, and hardness. They were about as 
large as a hazel-nut, round in shape, of a dark color, as 
hard as a stone, and arranged so as to form a triangle. 
In the bladder itself there was no gall. After a close 
examination the physician was obliged to confess that 
this could not happen through any natural means, nor 
in consequence of any sickness, so that it was undoubt- 
edly supernatural and therefore miraculous. When this 
remarkable discovery was made public, several theo- 
logians held a consultation with the afore-mentioned 
Monsignor Tignosi, and concluded after serious conside- 
ration that these pellets were certainly a symbol of 
the most august Trinity. They were confirmed in their 
belief when they weighed them some days after and 
found, not only that all three were of like weight, but 
also, what was still more wonderful, that any one of them 
weighed as much as the other two, or even as all three. 
Holy Father Augustine had already said, speaking of the 
three Divine Persons in the sixth book of his work on 
the Trinity: “ In the Holy Trinity one is as much as the 
three together; and two are no more than one object in 
substance. The whole is in each, and each in the whole, 
and the whole is but one object in essence.” Father 
Augustine of Montefalco, of the Augustinian Order, was 
therefore perfectly justified in declaring, in the life of the 
Saint which he wrote, that the fact which we have just 
narrated was confirmed by experiment and attested by 
many writers. Vicar Piergigli, who also wrote her life, 
bears the same testimony, and adds that in his time the 


Emblems Discovered in St. Clare s Heart. 1 71 


experiment had been repeated in the presence of thirty 
persons, who found the matter to be exactly as we have 
narrated it. 

The vicar-general having approved, as we have already 
remarked, the publication of the symbols found in the 
heart and gall of the Saint, the people of Montefalco gave 
themselves up to the liveliest demonstrations of joy. An 
announcement was made that on the 22d of August these 
miraculous symbols would be exhibited for the public 
veneration of the faithful, and a great concourse of peo- 
ple assembled from all parts of Umbria. The exposition 
took place as announced, and the vast multitude were 
loud in their praises of God and in their expressions of 
astonishment at the miracle. Amongst those who came 
to witness the exposition was the eminent servant of 
God, Beatrice of Ugolino, whose name we have fre- 
quently mentioned. She was unable to enter into the 
church, by reason of the great throng, and stood outside 
leaning against a wall and rapt in contemplation. Whilst 
there she saw in a vision a multitude of holy persons, 
clad in a variety of garments, moving along in front of 
St. Clare. The Saint herself was clothed in a beautiful 
red garment and accompanied by two other saints, who 
wore garments of a like color. They all moved in pro- 
cession towards the church of the Holy Cross, as though 
to indicate that they wished to render the ceremony more 
solemn by their presence. The vision then disappeared. 

There were, however, some incredulous persons who 
scoffed at the faith of the pious people; but they soon 
had reason to repent of their incredulity. There was a 
certain Vivarello of Petriolo, who did not think it worth 
while to go to the church, but busied himself instead 
with work in a foundry. On his return home, his wife 
told him of the wonderful things she had seen in the 
heart of St. Clare; but he only laughed at her and called 
her a fool. He returned to his foundry, and there paid 
the penalty of his unbelief; for a brick, detached by an 


172 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

invisible hand, fell on him and struck him with such 
force that he sank to the ground almost lifeless. He 
then recognized his mistake, and, going on his knees, 
asked pardon of God and of St. Clare, entreating her to 
ease his pain, and pledging himself to go and venerate 
the holy mysteries of her heart. He had scarcely made 
the vow when he felt as though some one had touched 
his wounded arm, and the pain instantly ceased. 

The vicar-forane wished that a public document 
should be drawn up, recording the solemnity celebrated 
in the church on that day, and that the nuns and the 
physician should swear in the presence of the people 
that these symbols of the passion and of the Trinity had 
been found by them in the heart and gall of the Saint. 
This was done, and the document was drawn upon 
parchment by the notary Angelo of Giovannello, under 
date of the 22d of August, 1308 — five days after the 
glorious death of the Saint. This document is pre- 
served to the present day in the archives of the convent 
at Montefalco. But as the devotion of the faithful, who 
continued to come in immense crowds, could not be 
satisfied in one day, the solemnity was kept up for eight 
consecutive days. Each day there was a sermon, some- 
times by an Augustinian, sometimes by a Minorite, on 
the greatness of the miracle and in praise of Clare’s ex- 
traordinary sanctity. Manifestations also took place on 
the part of God in the shape of visions. No less than 
seven of these, had by devout persons of both sexes, are 
recorded and minutely described by the biographer 
whom I have followed in this chapter. 

The fame of these wonders reached Rome, and Car- 
dinal James Colonna, the vicar and legate of the Pope, 
who then resided in Avignon, desired that these mys- 
terious objects should be brought to Rome for examina- 
tion. He accordingly sent in haste a trustworthy per- 
son to Montefalco, and at the same time sent word to 
the vicar-general of Spoleto and to the nuns of the Holy 


Emblems Discovered in St. Clare s Heart. 173 

Cross to give up without hesitation the heart and sym- 
bols to his messenger. In compliance with the cardinal’s 
orders all the objects were handed over to his envoy, 
after they had been previously enclosed in a box and 
well sealed. In this way they came into the hands of 
his Eminence the Vicar. To make the examination as 
authentic as possible, the cardinal convoked many pre- 
lates and other qualified persons, and opened the box in 
their presence and in that of Cardinal Napoleon Orsini. 
He then took from it the heart and the three pellets, and 
commenced a serious examination of them, as the im- 
portance of the affair demanded. The conclusion they 
came to was that the work was of God and not of man; 
and the cardinals, prelates, and others who were looking 
on went on their knees and paid homage to the precious 
relics, and gave praise and thanks to God. There were, 
however, some present at this examination who sus- 
pected imposition, and remarked that these instruments 
were not similar to those used in the passion of the 
Redeemer. But the Lord took care of His own honor 
and that of His servant by the following fact. Amongst 
the many who were present at this examination was a 
good and learned religious, who was likewise a famous 
preacher and theologian to Cardinal Orsini. This man 
had been suffering for seventeen years from a severe and 
incurable rupture, as was well knowm to many of those 
present. Content to suffer something for love of Jesus, 
he had never prayed to the Lord for restoration to health. 
When, however, he heard doubts raised concerning the 
reality of these wonderful impressions, he threw himself 
on his knees, and loudly invoked the name of Clare that 
she might obtain for him the cure of his disease in proof 
of her sanctity and of the truth of those symbols. He 
had scarcely finished his short and confident prayer, 
when he found that his rupture was completely cured. 
He immediately made known the miracle, and those who 
were before incredulous were undeceived, whilst the 


1 74 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

devotion of the others to our Saint was more and more 
strengthened. This examination was finished in the 
month of November of the same year, and the precious 
emblems were sent back to Montefalco, carefully en- 
closed and sealed. We shall finish this long chapter 
with the testimony of an eminent witness, who saw for 
himself these mysterious symbols some two centuries 
after the death of the Saint. This witness is none other 
than the most learned Aegidius of Viterbo,* of the 
Augustinian Order, and cardinal of the Holy Roman 
Church. In a letter written by him in Latin to his 
friend Seraphinus and recorded by Martene, he gives a 
description of a journey he had made, and says that he 
wept on seeing the holy house of Loreto, and also when 


* Aegidius Canisius was born at Viterbo in the year 1470, and 
entered in early youth into the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine. 
Owing to his unwearied application and extraordinary talent he soon 
became famed for his learning. He was a great poet, a renowned 
orator, a deep philosopher, an eminent theologian, and was well 
versed in the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldean tongues. Like 
St. Paul, he attracted all by the force and sweetness of his preaching. 
He stood on terms of the most intimate familiarity with the most 
famous men of his time, and was in especial favor with Popes 
Julius. II., Leo X., and Clement VII. His holiness of life went 
hand in hand with his great learning, and he has received the title of 
Venerable. He was present at the fifth Lateran Council in 1512, and 
delivered two discourses there. Julius II. sent him as legate to 
Venice and to the King of Naples. In 1515 Leo X. sent him in a 
like capacity to the Emperor Maximilian I., and later on to Charles V. 
and other princes in order to move them by his eloquence to wage 
war against Soliman, who was then threatening to overwhelm Chris- 
tendom. In 1517 he was made Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. 
Afterwards he was successively bishop of Castro, Lanciano, Zara, 
Sutri, Nepi, and Viterbo, and, under Clement VII., patriarch of Con- 
stantinople. The papal tiara seemed about to descend upon his 
head, when he died on November 12, 1532, at Rome, whither he 
had been summoned by Pope Clement for some matters connected 
with science. (See Ossinger, Lanteri, Wetzer und Wette’s Kirchen- 
lexikon.) 


Wonderful Preservation of St. Clare s Body. 175 

he looked on the arm of St. Nicholas of Tolentine. He 
adds that in beholding the prodigious mysteries of St. 
Clare of Montefalco he was nothing less than astounded. 
He then exclaims: “Great God ! How powerful Clare 
must have been with Thee while living! How powerful, 
now that she is dead ! When I shall see thee thou shalt 
hear wonderful things. The image of the Crucified, the 
three little pellets, and that blood which still lives and 
tells the future, not only draw tears to the eyes, but also 
ravish the heart and soul.” 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

Wonderful Preservation of St. Clare’s Body and Blood, of her 
Heart and the Emblems. Ebullition of her Blood as a Pre- 
sage of Great Calamities. 

LTHOUGH we have already devoted two 
chapters to the description of the emblems 
found in the entrails of St. Clare, we have 
not yet exhausted the subject. It remains 
for us to say something of their wonderful preservation. 
This preservation is so wonderful that one would find it 
difficult to believe if it could not be verified daily with 
one's own eyes. We have already heard how astonished 
Cardinal Aegidius was at seeing her remains; but how 
many other persons, conspicuous for learning, virtue, 
and dignity, could we mention here who have rendered 
testimony to the truth of these wonders! How many 
writers could we enumerate, some of whom have sung 
her praises in verse and others recorded them in prose! 
And how many persons, both native and foreign, of 
every age and station, have seen her remains through 
the course of several centuries, and have gone away filled 
with admiration at seeing them so well preserved despite 
the destroying influence of time, without the least aid 
from embalming or other artificial means! It remains 
to observe, for the greater exaltation of the power of 




1 76 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

God, that it was customary for some years to make ex- 
hibition of the Saint’s heart to visitors by catching it up 
in the hand, opening it, and taking from it the figure of 
the Crucified and the scourge. Notwithstanding this 
daily contact, the heart and symbols are to be seen to this 
day entire and uncorrupted. 

The blood, too, which flowed from her heart at the 
cutting, as we mentioned above, is still preserved in a 
vase; and although congealed, it is of a lively red color, 
resembling a ruby. And here we must remark that, three 
hundred years after the death of the Saint, a nun, whilst 
cleaning away the dust from the vase which contained 
her blood, let it fall, and both the glass and the con- 
densed blood were scattered in minute fragments. They 
were hurriedly gathered together again and placed in 
another glass vase, as they are to be seen at the present 
day. Three months afterwards the same blood was seen 
to boil up and then become condensed anew. As a last- 
ing memorial of the prodigy one can still see in the co- 
agulated blood minute pieces of the broken vase and a 
small portion of the broom with which it was swept up. 

In speaking of the incorruption of her body, we must 
first premise that although Sister Frances had cut it 
open with the intention of embalming it, the nuns were 
nevertheless obliged to forego performing this process, 
either because of their hurry, or because the apothecary 
deceived them by telling them that he would send them 
the balsam speedily when he did not have it. This in- 
cident served to make the miracle of the preservation of 
her body more remarkable. Here is the series of facts. 
We have already remarked that the body of the Saint 
remained unburied for three days in order to accommo- 
date the devotion of the faithful, and was afterwards 
buried in the public church. But as the faithful con- 
tinued coming in great numbers, begging earnestly to 
be allowed to see it, the vicar at Montefalco finally con- 
sented to satisfy them, and gave orders that it should be 


Wonderful Preservation of St. Clare's Body, i 7 7 

brought forth on the following day, which was Wednes- 
day, at daybreak, and exposed to public view. On the 
reappearance of this angelic form, the nuns prostrated 
themselves before it and offered it new tributes of their 
affection, fresh tears of devotion and tenderness. The 
sight of this inanimate but flexible and lifelike body 
was enchanting. It was still just as when she died, and 
gave forth a most agreeable odor, notwithstanding the 
heat of August and the fact that the soul had departed 
from it four days before. They thought again of em- 
balming the body; but the spices were not ready till the 
tenth day after her death. When these were at last 
brought, the nuns embalmed it as well as they could, 
according to the instructions given them, but not accord- 
ing to the artistic process of the ancient Egyptians, 
which has been entirely lost. They then enveloped it in 
a linen cloth, and left only the face, hands, and feet ex- 
posed, just as it is to be seen at the present day. In the 
mean time a small brick vault was constructed at one 
side of the church, and there, in a coffin which could be 
easily opened, her remains were laid, till in process of 
time they received a more honorable place of sepulture. 
But these remains are still uncorrupted, notwithstanding 
the lapse of ages and the destroying influence of the 
atmosphere. They can be seen to-day looking perfectly 
natural; nay, even a genuine likeness of them may be 
taken, as was frequently done by Fantino, a famous 
painter of Bevagna, at the order of distinguished men. 
We ourselves have had the happiness of seeing that pre- 
cious body, and we can attest that we have never seen, 
among the many uncorrupted bodies of saints in Italy, 
any as beautiful or as well preserved in feature and in 
color. Cardinal Aegidius made the same remark three 
centuries ago, for he thus writes to his friend in the letter 
to which we made previous allusion: “ I speak not of the 
beauty of the body, than which there is nothing in the 
world more beautiful or lifelike.” 


1 78 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

It remains for us now to say something of the prodi- 
gies connected with her blood, of which we were lately 
speaking. The arms of St. Nicholas of Tolentine have 
been known to bleed in presage of evils impending over 
Church or State; and the blood of our Saint has fore- 
boded like disasters by its liquefaction and ebullitions. 
Here are some facts in proof of what we say. On a 
Saturday of the month of October, in the year 1495, the 
blood was seen to boil up in such a way that those who 
were looking on were struck with terror. Two days 
afterwards the fatal presage found an explanation, when 
the troops of the Baglioni and the Orsini were seen to 
hurl themselves suddenly on Gualdo Cattaneo, causing 
great ruin there for the space of two months. In the 
same year Charles VIII., king of France, ravaged the 
fair plains of Italy with an immense army, and made 
himself master of the kingdom of Naples after shedding 
much blood. Five years after this the ambitious Duke 
Valentine, in his expedition through Romagna, with an 
army of eleven thousand men, pitched his camp in Mon- 
tefalco and the surrounding country. Before going away 
the officers proposed to plunder the place. Then was 
heard the mourning voice of a woman together with a 
miraculous ringing of bells and a terrible din around the 
tomb of the Saint. Her countenance was likewise seen 
to change and her blood to boil up in the vase. When 
these things were announced to the leaders of the army, 
they came to see for themselves, and were struck with 
such astonishment and terror that they went away leav- 
ing the place unharmed. In the year 1508 war arose be- 
tween the inhabitants of Bevagna and Montefalco, and 
the former had prepared an ambuscade for the latter, so 
as to surprise and massacre them. The blood of the 
Saint was then seen to move, so that the citizens were 
put on their guard and discovered the ambuscade; and 
the matter was settled by a light battle. A remark- 
able event occurred March 20, 1560, which is related 


Wonderful Preservation of St. Clares Body. 179 

by the most reliable biographers of the Saint. About 
two o’clock in the afternoon of this day the holy body 
was being shown to some persons from Foligno, when 
Sister Perpetua took in her hands the case containing 
the three mysterious pellets, and noticed that it was 
heavier than usual. As she was pointing them out with 
her finger, one of them suddenly split in two. This event 
frightened the religious, and they determined to make it 
public by ringing the church-bells. The people as- 
sembled in great numbers; and whilst the broken pellet 
was being shown them, one of the two pieces broke in 
two other pieces, and caused still greater consternation 
amongst the people. Public penitential processions were 
then carried on for three days to avert the threatened 
scourges. Even to this day the same little pellet is seen 
divided into several parts; and there seems to be no rea- 
son for doubting that these divisions had reference to 
the many schisms and heresies which were widely spread 
in that century and which still subsist, as is well known. 
In the year 1570 the Saint’s blood boiled up anew in 
presage of the loss of the kingdom of Cyprus, which the 
Turks took from the Christians in the following year. 
Finally, this phenomenon occurred twice in the seven- 
teenth century: once in the year 1601, whilst Monsignor 
Castrucci was showing it to the people in the church and 
pronouncing a discourse on the miracle; and the other 
time in 1618, when an obsessed person was brought be- 
fore it. On this occasion not only did the blood liquefy 
and boil up, but the body of the Saint was seen by all 
present to raise up the right thumb, perhaps to signify 
that they should take away the obsessed person, as he did 
not deserve to be cured. 


180 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


CHAPTER XXX. 

Miracles worked by St. Clare after her Death. The Process 
for her Canonization. 

HE PERFORMANCE of miracles is ascribed, 
in common language, sometimes to God, and 
sometimes to the saints. But although the 
saints by their merits concur in the working 
of them, it is nevertheless true that the Almighty alone 
can perform them in the true and strict sense of the 
word; for He, and He alone, created the world and laid 
down the laws of nature. He works them through the 
merits and at the intercession of the saints, either to 
bear testimony to their sanctity and make it known to 
the Church, or else to support and propagate the faith. 
This was the case with the miracles worked by St. Clare 
during her life, and the same may be said of those which 
followed after her death. The greatest of all miracles 
is the raising of the dead to life; and we have already 
spoken of the two dead persons who were raised to life 
through the intercession of St. Clare while she was yet 
among the living. Those which we shall now mention 
happened after her death, and contributed greatly to 
increase her glory. 

Seven months after the death of the Saint, a child at 
Montefalco, by name Manentillo, a son of Matthew of 
Bartoletto, was playing with other children under a 
large heap of straw. On a sudden the heap fell and 
the child was buried beneath it. It was extricated in 
about an hour afterwards, but it was wholly suffocated. 
The parents were inconsolable over the loss of their 
child, but they had immediate recourse to the interces- 
sion of St. Clare, and their lively faith and pious vows 
were rewarded by seeing their dead boy restored to life. 
A little girl named Gigliuccia of Offreduccio fell into a 
deep pit of water and was drowned; but she, too, was re- 



Miracles Worked by St. Clare after Death . 1 8 1 

stored to life through the intercession of St. Clare, whom 
her pious parents had invoked. A like miracle was worked 
by our Saint in favor of another girl named Ciuccia, 
daughter of Antonio of Cerreto, to whom a like accident 
had happened. Angelo of Carpegna, a nobleman of 
Perugia who had a great devotion to St. Clare, died after 
a long illness and a painful agony, although he had fre- 
quently had recourse to her intercession for the restora- 
tion of his health. God was pleased to refuse his re- 
quest for a while in order to work in his case a still 
greater miracle and so enhance the glory of His Saint. 
This He did by raising the dead nobleman to life, so 
that he afterwards came to Montefalco in person to bear 
witness to the holiness of his intercessor and to give her 
suitable thanks. In fine, a certain Paoluccio, the son of 
John of Montefalco, had died suddenly, and was about 
to have the burial-rites performed over him by the parish 
priest, when his mother thought of having recourse to 
the intercession of St. Clare. Her confidence was so 
great that she soon had occasion to rejoice at seeing her 
beloved son restored to her maternal embrace in perfect 
health. 

It was our intention at first to give here the full list of 
the miracles worked by our Saint after her death; 
but when we consider that this would make our book 
more extensive than we deem desirable, and likewise 
that our readers might grow weary at the monotonous 
description of so many similar miracles, we confine our- 
selves to the few mentioned above. On this point we 
simply remark that, within the eight years which passed 
from the Saint’s death to the completion of the process 
for her canonization, no less than two hundred and nine- 
teen miracles are recorded as worked by St. Clare. Al- 
most all of these were instantaneous and striking, as 
may be seen from the records of them in the above- 
mentioned process, in which they are all recounted with 
the most minute details of persons, time, and place. 


1 82 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

Neither are the cases in which the dead were raised to 
life by her, of which we have spoken above, nor the 
many miracles which she worked during life included in 
this number. There is scarcely a form of disease or 
suffering to which her powerful intercession did not 
bring miraculous relief. Through her means many blind 
persons obtained their sight, and various forms of eye- 
diseases were healed; hearing was restored to the deaf 
or given to those who had been born so; the lame, the 
crippled, and the paralyzed recovered the free use of 
their limbs; many were freed from uterine diseases and 
such as are incidental to childbirth, from rupture, stone, 
epilepsy, scrofula, swellings in the neck and other parts 
of the body, from abscesses, bruises, rheumatism and 
various kinds of fevers; many insane persons recovered 
the use of their reason, and many that were possessed 
by the devil were freed from his power; many, too, were 
rescued by her from shipwreck, and from their enemies, 
or from still greater dangers of soul; in fine, many who 
showed but little esteem for the Saint, or who were in- 
credulous as to her great power with God, were pun- 
ished in various extraordinary ways that left little doubt 
of the divine displeasure. The power of Clare extended 
even to the brute creation, for she worked many mira- 
culous cures in cases of afflicted dumb animals. Now 
if we add to all these wonders, which were wrought 
within eight years after her death, the innumerable 
miracles which were performed through her mediation 
in the past five hundred years, but whose record is lost 
either through the unavoidable circumstances of time 
long past or the unpardonable carelessness of the un- 
grateful recipients of her favor, our Saint must needs 
appear as one of the greatest wonder-workers in the 
history of the Church of God, and deserving as such the 
liveliest confidence of the faithful. 

It was precisely the fame of these miracles, which 
went on increasing day by day, that caused the then 


Miracles Worked by St. Clare after Death. 183 

bishop of Spoleto, Peter Paul Trinci of Foligno, to com- 
mission his vicar-general, Berengarius Donadei, whom 
we have already spoken of, to institute a juridical ex- 
amination of the life and miracles of the Saint. He did 
this, however, by the advice of twenty doctors in law 
and in theology who had assembled and carefully 
weighed the matter. Accordingly, the vicar-general 
commenced the legal procedure, but at the very outset 
the demon strove to turn him from his laudable under- 
taking. This he did by urging on two officials of the 
bishop’s court to endeavor to persuade him that it was 
not his business to commence the process for the canon- 
ization of Clare, and, furthermore, that by so doing he 
would cause for himself much trouble and labor. So 
strenuously did they urge their opposition to the under- 
taking that the vicar-general was on the point of com- 
mitting to the flames the materials already gathered 
for the examination. In his perplexity, however, he 
had recourse to God, who is the Father of light, and 
prayed that He might make known to him His holy 
will. In answer to his prayer the Saint herself appeared 
to him, clothed in a white garment which was richly 
adorned with gems, and diffused around such a heavenly 
radiance that all fear and doubt left his mind on the in- 
stant, and he experienced a holy calm and great courage 
to prosecute the work which he had begun. 

Being furnished with the requisite authority, he ac- 
cordingly betook himself to Montefalco in the month of 
June, 1309, about ten months after the death of Clare. 
On the eighteenth of the same month he opened with 
all due formality of law the preliminary investigation 
into the life and miracles of the Saint. His judicial 
assistants were Blessed Angela Conti of Foligno, Prior 
of the Augustinian Convent of Montefalco, which he 
himself had founded and which exists to the present day; 
Father Peter of Gualdo Cattaneo, a theologian of the 
same Order; Father Francis, the brother of the Saint, 


184 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 


and Father James, both Franciscans and Lectors in 
Sacred Theology; Bordone, a vicar-forane, and two 
lawyers, Andrew Raineri and Berallo Egidi. The first 
session of this investigating committee was held in the 
church of the Holy Cross in the presence of eleven 
nuns of the same convent, who were summoned as wit- 
nesses and duly sworn to declare the truth with all ac- 
curacy. Angelo of Giovannillo, of Montefalco, attended 
in the capacity of secretary at this and the other sessions. 
Berengarius continued his investigation, and completed 
it in the following year. In the mean time the miracles 
and the reputation for sanctity of St. Clare went on 
increasing to such an extent that the bishops, prelates, 
religious communities, and laity of Umbria sent a una- 
nimous petition to the Holy See asking for her beati- 
fication. Berengarius was deputed by them as the pro- 
curator of the case, he being considered best informed 
concerning it. He undertook willingly the honorable 
charge, and set out in 1316 for Avignon, in which city 
Pope John XXII. then resided. He there gave in the 
first place to the Sovereign Pontiff his own private ac- 
count of the investigation which he had conducted, 
which was in full accord with the decision of the entire 
committee. He afterwards repeated the same in a pub- 
lic consistory in a discourse remarkable for its elegance. 
During this address all present were astonished at learn- 
ing that whilst he intended simply to use the following 
words: “Clare died without showing any sign of pain,” 
he felt himself urged by a secret impulse to say instead: 
“ Clare died without pain.” He concluded his address 
with a prayer, in the name of the province of Um- 
bria, that His Holiness would graciously vouchsafe 
to enroll Sister Clare in the catalogue of the Saints 
as soon as her merits would be sufficiently authenti- 
cated. The Pope, after consultation with his cardi- 
nals, concluded that the time had come to institute 
an investigation by apostolic authority into the case of 


Miracles Worked by St. Clare after Death. 185 

Sister Clare. To this end he ordered Cardinal Orsini, 
papal legate in Perugia, to institute a judicial examination 
of her case and send a full report of it to the Holy See. 
This examination was accordingly begun; and when it 
was completed in the following year, 1317, the report 
was duly drawn up, sealed, and brought by Berengarius 
to the Holy Father at Avignon. The Pope then ap- 
pointed a committee of cardinals to examine it and re- 
port on it. On receiving a favorable report from this 
committee, and after mature deliberation, His Holiness 
declared that the solemn and public process concerning 
the life and miracles of Clare might be now instituted. 
The deputies of the Pope in this process were Francis 
Poggio, a Dominican and bishop of Perugia, the bishop 
of Orvieto, and Reginald of St. Artemia, who was chap- 
lain to His Holiness and governor of the duchy of 
Spoleto. To these three, two papal bulls were sent — one 
in October, 1317, and the other in March, 1318. On the 
sixth of September, 1318, they opened the proceedings at 
Montefalco in presence of Berengarius, who acted as 
postulator of the cause, two notaries, Spalla Rapondi 
and Offreduccio of Spello, and a large assemblage of the 
faithful. Reginald then, after a brief monition, made 
the announcement that all the witnesses present, as well 
as those afterwards to be summoned, should, under 
penalty of incurring the censures of the Church and ren- 
dering themselves liable to severe temporal punishment, 
declare the simple and naked truth. These officials then 
betook themselves from the church to the convent of the 
Holy Cross, and there in presence of twenty-three wit- 
nesses the taking of testimony was begun. In the course 
of a year they examined upwards of four hundred wit- 
nesses. When the testimony was ail taken, a report was 
drawn up and transmitted to the Holy Fatherat Avignon. 
His Holiness again deputed three cardinals to examine 
this report and make known to him their opinion con- 
cerning it. This they did in public consistory; and their 


1 86 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

conclusion was that the process had been conducted in 
due form, and that the Sovereign Pontiff could now pro- 
ceed to the canonization of Clare. The most reliable 
authors attest that Pope John XXII. was extremely 
anxious of enrolling in the catalogue of the saints not 
only Clare of Montefalco but also Nicholas of Tolentine, 
who was likewise an Augustinian. He did not do it, 
however, and the reason was that his reign was dis- 
turbed by wars and schisms; and he died at last without 
being able to accomplish his pious wish. 

But, notwithstanding the failure to secure her canoni- 
zation at that time, our Saint enjoyed, in addition to her 
heavenly glory, great fame here on earth. We have 
already spoken of the extraordinary concourse of the 
faithful on the occasion of her death, and of the multi- 
tudes that visited her tomb. These multitudes were 
made up, not only of the faithful of Umbria, but of 
foreigners and pilgrims of every condition of life, of per- 
sons eminent for their dignity and sanctity, of princes, 
prelates, bishops, cardinals, and popes. We have also 
told how, from the very first years after her happy 
departure for Heaven, her name was honored in public 
festivals and panegyrics, and she was endowed by public 
acclamation with the title of Saint. It would be too 
tedious to enumerate here the numerous votive offerings 
that were laid upon her tomb by reason of the many 
wonderful favors obtained through her intercession. 
We shall content ourselves, therefore, with mentioning a 
few of the more noteworthy tributes of respect and 
veneration paid to the memory of our Saint as well by 
private persons as by public authority. Twenty-five 
years after her death, John of Amelia, governor of the 
duchy of Spoleto, had the church of the Saint painted 
with scenes from her life. In the following century the 
magistrate of Montefalco issued a decree in which the 
order was renewed to observe annually the feast of the 
Saint, and to offer to her the wax tapers borne in pro- 


Miracles Worked by St. Clare after Death. 187 

cession in her honor, as was customary in the case of 
patron saints. A short time after, Monsignor Lotto 
Sardi, bishop of Spoleto, completed the rebuilding of the 
convent church, and erected a new stone tomb, in which 
he placed a neat casket or shrine as a receptacle for the 
venerated body of our Saint. This case exists at the 
present time, and on it may be seen painted three pic- 
tures of the Saint clothed in her black habit. About a 
hundred years afterwards, Maria Manuel, Marchioness 
of Santa Croce, on receiving at the tomb of the Saint 
some signal favor from Heaven, left there, in token of 
her gratitude, a rich and elegantly ornamented shrine of 
crystal, to which the body was immediately transferred. 
Two centuries ago two Jesuit fathers came to Monte- 
falco, sent there by the then General, Acquaviva, and 
brought with them a case of solid silver, in which to 
place the body of the Saint. This case was the gift of 
some unknown personage. Urban VIII., who had pre- 
viously been bishop of Spoleto, granted to the Augus- 
tinian and Franciscan Orders the privilege of reciting an 
office and celebrating Mass in honor of Clare. This 
privilege was afterwards extended to the whole diocese 
of Spoleto, and is at present enjoyed in many other places. 
In order to satisfy the devotion of the people to our 
Saint, the custom was introduced, centuries ago, of 
opening the case in which her body is enshrined, that 
the sacred remains may receive public veneration. This 
is done twice every year: on the feast of the Finding of 
the Holy Cross, the third of May, and on the feast of 
the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the twenty-fourth 
of June. On the night preceding this latter feast, the 
nuns of the convent at Montefalco strip the body of the 
Saint, clean away the dust, and clothe it in new gar- 
ments. This custom has prevailed ever since the death 
of the Saint, and is carried out even at the present time 
without the slightest injury to her body, though she is 
dead for nearly six hundred years. The old garments 


1 88 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

are cut up into strips and distributed to the pious faith- 
ful. But the veneration of our Saint is not confined to 
Umbria, or even to Italy ; it has spread to the very ends 
of the earth. No earthly monarch has been or will be 
so much honored as this poor and lowly servant of the 
Crucified; and this not merely by men in this miserable 
world, but espeeially by the all-righteous Scrutinizer of 
hearts and Judge of Sanctity — by God Himself in 
Heaven. There she is glorified and made happy by the 
pure and unspeakable joys of Paradise, by that glory 
which was merited by her holiness of life, and which 
shall not grow less for ages without end. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare ; its Vicissitudes and 
Happy Termination. 

OD UNDOUBTEDLY directs the Roman Pon- 
tiffs by an especial providence and by peculiar 
illuminations in decreeing the honors of our 
altars to those chosen souls who have distin- 
guished themselves beyond other holy persons by their 
heroic virtues and great miracles. Nevertheless, how 
inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable are 
His ways! For some He so disposes matters that all ob- 
stacles in the way of their canonization are speedily sur- 
mounted and the final authoritative decision is soon 
given. In the case of others, on the contrary, He permits 
so many difficulties, both intrinsic and extrinsic, to inter- 
vene, that whole centuries pass away before the desired 
end can be reached. But whether He hastens or delays, 
He who disposes all things in number, weight, and mea- 
sure so arranges matters that the exaltation of His ser- 
vants comes precisely in the time which will be of the 
greatest glory to them and most advantageous to the 
Church. Such reflections as these can alone explain to 


Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare. 1 89 

us the long delay in the canonization of St. Clare of 
Montefalco. 

Very soon after her happy death, an ardent desire to 
see her numbered amongst the saints was expressed by 
persons of every class, to whom her extraordinary virtues 
and the wonderful miracles wrought by God through 
her intercession were well known. The proper authority 
made the initiative step and prosecuted the cause of her 
canonization with such celerity that within twenty-five 
years from her death it was nearly carried to a happy 
completion. The investigations set on foot by the bishop 
and the Apostolic See having been completed, the Sove- 
reign Pontiff, Pope John XXII., commissioned, as we have 
already said, three cardinals, according to the custom of 
the Roman Court in those times, who were to examine 
these documents and make a careful report concerning 
them in public consistory. This report was drawn up in 
the year 1326, and read in the consistory, according to 
the testimony of reliable historians. Without doubt 
John XXII., who had already canonized St. Louis of Tou- 
louse, St. Thomas of Hereford, and St. Thomas of 
Aquin, would have likewise canonized St. Clare, as well 
as St. Nicholas of Tolentine, if the serious troubles of the 
times had not hindered him. 

The cause, however, was interrupted for reasons wholly 
foreign, and not for anything contrary to the heroic char- 
acter of the Saint’s virtues; and it was only after the 
lapse of four centuries that it was seriously thought of 
resuming it. In this long space of time the veneration 
paid to her from the beginning of the fourteenth century 
in no wise diminished; nay, it increased and spread 
to many other places besides her native province, enriched 
as it was with privileges by the Holy See. God Himself, 
too, did not fail to make famous the merits of His ser- 
vant by new favors and miracles, and especially by pre- 
serving in a state of incorruption her virginal body and 
her heart, on which latter His almighty hand had im- 


190 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

pressed the figure of the crucified Jesus, and moulded 
the representation of the emblems of the passion a hun- 
dred times better than a skilful sculptor could have fa- 
shioned them on hard bronze. By this God wished to 
work a permanent miracle in favor of our Saint, and one 
which would speak incessantly to the hearts of all who 
would be witnesses of it. Notwithstanding all this, his- 
tory makes no mention of the resumption of the cause of 
her canonization till the first half of the last century. It 
was precisely during the pontificate of Clement XII. that 
cities and towns, bishops and prelates, and even the Duke 
of Modena, entreated the Holy See, as formerly happened 
during the pontificate of John XXII., to vouchsafe to 
hearken to their ardent desires and propose Clare for the 
veneration of the entire Catholic Church. 

The Sovereign Pontiff received kindly their warm sup- 
plications, and transmitted them for speedy execution to 
the Sacred Congregation of Rites. This Congregation 
sought out and examined the ancient records of the apos- 
tolic processes as well as the other documents which had 
a bearing on the case and which were found in the ar- 
chives of the convent at Montefalco. But, strange to 
say, a new method of procedure had been introduced by 
Clement IX. in such cases, and this was followed in the 
new investigation as being more careful and sure. Ac- 
cording to the regulations, then, of this new law the 
resumption of the cause of St. Clare was approved of 
on February 16, 1737, in the ordinary Congregation 
of Sacred Rites. On the twentieth day of the same 
month the previously named Sovereign Pontiff deigned 
to sign the commission with his own hand. On April 
13 of the same year he approved the decree concern- 
ing the case made exception of by the decrees of Urban 
VIII. On July 25 of the following year letters remis- 
sorial and compulsory were issued to institute specifi- 
cally a new apostolic investigation into the virtues and 
miracles of Clare. 


Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare. 1 9 1 

This new process was completed in 1742, transmitted 
to the Sacred Congregation, and shortly afterwards ap- 
proved of as valid. Then other documents were issued 
for the investigation of her virtues, but no further steps 
were taken in the case at that time. It is impossible to 
say why no further action was then taken in the matter, 
and even Benedict XIV. himself says that he cannot ex- 
plain it. On seeing that the cause was abandoned for 
another century and more, we are forced to exclaim: How 
incomprehensible and inscrutable are the ways of the 
Lord towards His elect! Notwithstanding all this, the 
postulators of the cause, who belonged to the Order of 
the Hermits of St. Augustine, never ceased to watch for 
a favorable opportunity to bring the case to a successful 
issue, that they might thus satisfy the desires of the 
faithful, and especially of the religious of the entire 
Augustinian Order, which recognizes in Clare one of its 
leading ornaments. 

This favorable occasion seemed to present itself in 
1846. In that year the immortal Pontiff, Pius IX., of 
glorious and happy memory, had been elected to sit in 
the chair of St. Peter. He had been, previous to his 
election to the see of Rome, Archbishop of Spoleto, and 
had always shown himself most devout towards St. 
Clare and extremely zealous for her canonization. Re- 
port has it that on the occasion of his first visitation of 
Montefalco, he remarked, in astonishment at seeing her 
body so beautiful and so free from corruption: “ If I be- 
come pope, I shall make her a saint.” The postulator 
accordingly had recourse without delay to the new Pon- 
tiff, entreating him for permission to resume the cause 
which had lain for more than a century in almost total 
oblivion. It is not easy to say with what joy Pius IX. 
heard the petition and with what eagerness he granted 
the favor. However, on account of the long delay occa- 
sioned by the examination of various documents relating 
to the cause which belonged to the fourteenth century, 


192 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

as well as on account of other necessary legal forms, the 
meeting to discuss her virtues could not be held by the 
cardinals till September 7, 1850. The decision of this 
meeting was favorable; and furthermore, permission 
was granted, on account of the special circumstances of 
the case, to proceed to the canonization after the due 
proof of two miracles only, derogating in this from the 
rules to the contrary. But exactly here arose a new 
source of delay on the part of him who by his office was 
to be expected to promote the cause as far as lay in his 
power. The postulator of the cause was induced in some 
way to propose to the Sacred Congregation of Rites 
the following doubt: If it were lawful to select the two 
miracles required by the decree of 1850 for the canoniza- 
tion of Clare from amongst those recorded in the ancient 
documents of the investigation made by the authority of 
Pope John XXII., and worked by God through the inter- 
cession of Clare before she enjoyed any public or eccle- 
siastical veneration. This question was based on a false 
supposition, for the veneration of Clare, as is shown from 
incontestable documents which we pass over for the sake 
of brevity, had its beginning immediately after her death, 
with the explicit approval of the bishops of Spoleto, and 
at least the tacit consent of the Roman Pontiffs. And if 
Nicholas V., who visited Montefalco in 1447 in order to 
venerate her, as we read in the life of Blessed Muzio 
Petroni, permitted a commemoration to be made of her 
in the divine office with a prayer proper composed by 
himself; if Urban VIII. granted permission to recite the 
office and celebrate Mass in her honor; if Clement X. ap- 
proved the historical lessons in her office and the prayers 
proper to her in the office and Mass, and likewise caused 
her name to be inserted in the Roman Martyrology with a 
eulogium in which mention is made of the mysterious sym- 
bols found in her heart, — these concessions by no means 
indicate the origin of the veneration granted by the Holy 
See to our Saint, but only constitute an explicit exten- 


Resumption of the Catise of St. Clare. 193 

sion made by the same Apostolic See of a veneration al- 
ready existing. From this it follows as a necessary con- 
sequence that the greater part of the miracles contained 
in the above-mentioned documents were worked by St. 
Clare after she was in the legitimate enjoyment of a 
public and ecclesiastical veneration. Whence we re- 
marked with reason that the doubt proposed by the pos- 
tulator to the Sacred Congregation was based on a false 
supposition. No wonder, however, that the Congrega- 
tion, faithful to the rules traced out for it by the wisdom 
of the Roman Pontiffs, gave a negative answer to the 
question on August 12, 1854. This decision dealt a 
severe blow to the cause of the glorious virgin of Monte- 
falco. One might almost say that God, for His own 
hidden purposes, had permitted the Demon, who had so 
often been discomfited in his attacks on Clare, to hinder 
her cause from being brought to a happy termination, as 
he had already sought in various ways to hinder its in- 
troduction. 

But we already remarked at the beginning of this 
chapter, that it is God Himself, who is blessed above all, 
who advances or retards the causes of His saints by the 
dispositions of a most special providence. And as our 
Saint appeared to Berengarius on a former occasion and 
dissolved all the doubts that were raised in his mind by 
the infernal enemy, so now too she seems to have em- 
ployed herself in obtaining from her Heavenly Spouse 
the necessary light for him who was to conduct her cause 
to its final happy issue. In the mean time, in obedience 
to the last decree of the Congregation, the postulator 
abandoned the miracles mentioned in the ancient records 
and had recourse to the other Apostolic process, which 
had been instituted, as we have said, during the pontifi- 
cate of Clement XII. But the juridical proofs for the 
miracles which God had been pleased to work through 
the intercession of His beloved Clare for the space of 
upwards of four centuries had not been taken, and so it 


194 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

was morally impossible to find in these documents two 
specific miracles that were furnished with the necessary 
ocular testimony. Of the other miracles mentioned 
there, as for example, the preservation of her heart, the 
impression of the instruments of the passion, the incor- 
ruption of her virginal body, no account could be taken, 
as they were already included in the ancient records. 
Hence it was necessary to desist for a while from any 
further proceedings. Some time afterwards, in 1862, 
the Pontiff of the Immaculate Conception gave permis- 
sion for the resumption of the cause of the twenty-six 
Japanese martyrs, which had been interrupted by the 
disturbances of the times. By this permission their cause 
might be resumed in the very state and terms in which 
it was when interrupted, and by consequence the miracles 
which had been performed before the concession and 
approbation of their veneration were sufficient to bring 
their cause to a happy conclusion. A like concession 
was granted in 1867 in the case of the nineteen martyrs 
of Gorcum, as also for Blessed Josaphat and Blessed 
Peter of Arbues. Encouraged by these instances of pon- 
tifical indulgence the postulator of the cause, Father 
Nicholas Primavera, recently deceased, made supplica- 
tion to the Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII., begging him 
that he would deign, after the example of his predeces- 
sor, to accord a like faculty in the case of St. Clare, 
which was in no wise different from the others. The 
sanctity of Clare and the veneration which that sanctity 
caused her to be everywhere held in were well known to 
Leo XIII., for he had lived for a long time in Umbria as 
b'shop of Perugia, and had, moreover, twice visited 
Montefalco and been greatly moved at sight of her holy 
remains. Accordingly, after having received repeatedly 
from Monsignor the Promotor of the Faith, a clear and 
exact statement of the case, he was pleased to grant 
the petition of the postulator on April 26, 1881. He 
established at the same time a special Congregation, 


Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare. 195 

which was composed of cardinals and of prelates belong- 
ing to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, with power to 
examine authoritatively the miracles recorded in the an- 
cient apostolic processes which had been already proposed 
to John XXII. for his approbation. 

After this rescript, which had been issued with the 
greatest prudence and justice by apostolic authority, the 
excellent advocate of the cause became convinced that 
he could attain the end proposed. He was not dismayed 
by the fact that the documents which had reference to 
the ancient apostolic processes, as well as those which 
contained the compendious report of the cardinals to 
John XXII. on the thirty-five leading miracles worked by 
St. Clare and on their juridical proofs, had been lost. 
He had in his possession some fragments which had ref- 
erence only to three miracles, but he thought that these 
would suffice. However, though the arguments adduced 
by him to prove the authenticity and legality of these 
fragments were not wanting in weight, nevertheless all 
doubt was not removed by them as to the full proof of 
the miracles, and especially as to whether these three 
miracles formed part of the thirty-five selected by the 
cardinals in their report. Accordingly, all who were 
interested in the case set themselves to work with the 
greatest diligence in searching for the lost documents. 
And, although it was deemed useless to institute further 
searches either in the public or private libraries of Rome, 
Florence, and Naples, nevertheless it was firmly believed 
that these persevering searches would be finally crowned 
by Divine Providence with a happy issue. Indeed, we 
may well believe that it was by a singular disposition of 
God’s providence that Monsignor Caprara, Sub-promo- 
tor of the Faith, who was surpassed by none in his zeal 
for the happy termination of the case, found, whilst 
searching in the archives of the Sacred Congregation 
and of the Vatican, twenty documents, some in paper 
and some in parchment, containing precisely what was 


196 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

necessary for the cause of St. Clare. It would be no easy 
task to tell what joy this discovery brought to all who 
were interested in the cause of our Saint. 

After the authenticity of these precious documents 
had been placed beyond doubt by the testimony of 
three paleographers, the advocates of the Saint were 
able to form a second summary from them, by which 
they not only dispelled every doubt about the three 
miracles already proposed, but were furthermore able 
to extend the discussion to the full series of the thirty- 
five miracles contained in the report of the three car- 
dinals, Orsini, Bertrando, and De Reblayo, to Pope 
John XXII. In a word, after the finding of these docu- 
ments the cause was fully and formally resumed, accord- 
ing to the concession of Leo XIII.; that is to say, it might 
now be discussed in the very state and terms in which it 
was in the first half of the fourteenth century. To pro- 
ceed, however, with greater caution, to the last act of the 
discussion, the report, together with the record of the 
thirty-five miracles and their proofs, was handed over 
for examination to two most eminent professors of med- 
icine and surgery. These were to give their mature, 
scientific, and conscientious judgment, under oath and 
without having had any communication with each other, 
as to how many and which of these thirty-five cases they 
deemed real and undoubted miracles. The opinions 
given by these two most learned men agreed in recog- 
nizing, as far as their judgment went, the evident impress 
of the finger of God in six of the cases submitted to them. 
These six were the cases marked by the numbers I, VI, 
VII, XV, XIX, XXIII. 

The supplication pro rei veritate (on the truth of the 
matter) having been made by Monsignor the Promotor 
of the Faith, the members composing the special con- 
gregation established by the Pope were able to meet on 
July 30, 1881, to solve the doubt proposed by the 
defender of the cause. The cardinals and prelates who 


Miracles for the Canonization of Clare . 197 

had been deputed for this purpose undertook the exami- 
nation of the six miracles which had been previously 
examined by the scientists, and after a long and mature 
deliberation gave their explicit decision that all and each 
of the six miracles were what they purported to be — true 
and undoubted miracles. In giving this decision they 
used great caution in their language lest they should 
seem to exclude the other twenty-nine from the category 
of true miracles. They likewise expressed their opinion 
that the canonization of Clare of Montefalco might be 
immediately proceeded with, if such were pleasing to the 
Sovereign Pontiff. A full and accurate report of the 
entire proceedings of this congregation being afterwards 
made to the Holy Father, he was pleased to give his un- 
qualified approbation to all its decisions. On the nth 
September of the same year, 1881, the feast of the most 
holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Holiness, 
Leo XIII., published, by virtue of his infallible authority, 
the solemn decree which declared Clare to be one of the 
saints of God’s Church. Of this decree we shall give a 
translation at the end of this little book. This is, in brief, 
the history of the resumption, the vicissitudes, and the 
happy termination of the cause. It appears from the re- 
cords of the apostolic investigations that Clare herself 
had prophesied, in one of her apparitions after death, that 
such would be the final issue of her case. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

Miracles Approved for the Canonization of Clare. 

LTHOUGH, according to the decree of the 
Sacred Congregation of Rites issued Sep- 
tember 7, 1850, and approved by Pius 
IX. on the 13th of the same month and 
year, two miracles only needed to be proved for the 
solemn canonization of St. Clare, nevertheless, as we 




198 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

have told in the preceding chapter, six were authorita- 
tively recognized and approved of as true miracles. Of 
these we shall give a brief account in the present 
chapter. 

FIRST MIRACLE. 

Signs of the mysteries of the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ 
impressed on the heart of Clare — a miracle of the first class. 

Since the reader has already received an accurate and 
minute account of this first miracle in the proper place 
of the life of St. Clare, we omit further mention of it 
here. We shall merely observe, before passing to the 
second, that, as these impressions included all the instru- 
ments used by the Jews in torturing the Redeemer, each 
one of them might well be considered a miracle in itself; 
or, if they be regarded as one miracle, they should be 
looked upon as one which is equivalent to many. 

SECOND MIRACLE. 

Instantaneous and perfect cure of Cetto Speranza of a frightful 
varus of both feet from which he suffered from birth. 

At the very time in which the sacred symbols of the 
passion that were in the heart of St. Clare were shown 
by permission of the ecclesiastical authorities to the 
faithful who had assembled from all parts of the broad 
and fertile valley of Spoleto, God Himself was pleased 
to testify to the truth of the prodigy and the sanctity of 
His servant by an extraordinary miracle. She, like the 
Spouse in the Canticles, had the image of her Beloved 
engraven as a seal on her heart, and God wished to 
show how powerful her intercession was for those who 
had recourse to her with lively and humble confidence. 
Amongst the many who experienced the power of her 
intercession was a boy named Cetto Speranza, of the 
village of Cortignano, not far from Montefalco. This 
boy had his feet so deformed from his very birth that 
their upper portion was turned downwards, and the 


M trades for the Canonization of Clare. 1 99 

soles were turned upwards and inwards in such a man- 
ner that they faced and almost touched each other. 
This horrible monstrosity is a species of what is com- 
monly known as club-foot, and is known in surgery by 
the technical name of double varus. By this disease the 
bones of the tarsus, which is the part of the foot im- 
mediately adjoining the ankle are displaced, and the 
ligaments are distended on one side and shortened on 
the other, so that the wretched creature who is afflicted 
with it is compelled instead of walking to drag his body 
along in the most painful manner. This poor boy of 
whom we speak had never, according to the testimony 
of eighteen witnesses, made a single attempt to move 
during the twelve years of his life except on his hands or 
on crutches. As he was poor and had to live by alms, 
like the cripple mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, 
he was carried daily by some charitable persons to the 
door of the village church, where he solicited aid from 
the faithful. The physicians had employed every means 
to cure his deformity, but neither plasters, nor baths, nor 
bandages, nor any other remedy known to science in 
those times could give him relief. The cure of his dis- 
ease became more difficult as he advanced in years; for 
length of time had so hardened and solidified the mus- 
cles and tendons that the disease became chronic, and it 
was impossible for surgical skill to do anything for it. 
All who knew the boy felt deep pity for him, but for his 
poor, desolate mother especially his state was a source 
of the keenest anguish. The fame of St. Clare’s sanctity 
and miracles, however, was rapidly spreading through 
all the surrounding country, and soon reached the ears 
of this poor woman, who had immediate recourse to the 
Saint with the liveliest faith. She brought her son with 
her to Montefalco, and by the aid of some charitably- 
disposed persons succeeded in placing him on the tomb 
of St. Clare. In the mean time, mother, son, and all the 
by-standers offered up prayers full of humble and pious 


200 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

confidence. In about a quarter of an hour the boy broke 
forth into loud cries, expressive of the acute pains that 
he felt, which were quite similar to those experienced 
by persons whose displaced bones are being put back 
into their normal position. His mother and all present 
ran towards him on hearing his cries, and behold ! one 
of the boy’s feet was already straightened and com- 
pletely cured. The by-standers redoubled their prayers, 
and within an hour they saw the other foot assume its 
natural state. Cetto jumped to his feet, and, like the 
cripple healed by St. Peter, though he felt at first some 
pain by reason of the tenderness of the skin, ran through 
the church rejoicing and chanting the praise of his great 
benefactress. On seeing this his mother and all present 
joined the boy in blessing and thanking the Saint, in 
exalting her name, and spreading her glory far and 
wide. From that day forth the ankles, heels, and soles 
of the boy always retained their natural position and 
strength, and ten years afterwards Cetto himself gave 
with sentiments of the liveliest gratitude his deposition 
of the miracle to the apostolic commissioners, who were 
anxious to see for themselves the feet that had been so 
miraculously cured through the intercession of St. 
Clare. 


THIRD MIRACLE. 

Instantaneous and perfect cure of Antony Romanone of an in- 
veterate lameness which resulted from a contraction of the left 
leg , a?ikylosis, and other morbid conditions. 

Another miracle, not unlike the preceding, was 
wrought -through the intercession of St. Clare in the 
case of Antony Romanone, a young man of twenty years 
and a native of Montefalco. This youth had been at- 
tacked in his childhood with severe pains in the joints 
of his left leg, and, although immediate recourse was 
had to various remedies, amongst other to frequent 
bathing, the pains continued. This was a bad sign for 


Miracles for the Ca?ionization of Clare . 201 

the unfortunate sufferer. In point of fact, the arthritic 
process or inflammation of the joints went on increasing, 
and soon attacked with especial violence the joint of the 
knee, rendering it impossible for him to bend it. The 
physicians had recourse to violent remedies, as well to 
cure the knee as to hinder the disease from attacking the 
joints of the hip and ankle; but all was in vain. On 
account of the long duration of the disease the bones of 
the left leg in their three articulations became so united 
through the osseous humor discharged from them as to 
form but a single bone in the entire leg, and that per- 
fectly stiff. As a consequence of this ankylosis or stiff- 
ening of the joints, atrophy or the wasting away of the 
limb set in; that is to say, the limb, for want of nutri- 
ment, lost its natural volume and became dried up, it 
having been already enormously shortened by reason of 
the long rigidity of the joints. Such, in brief, as we 
gather from the testimony of sworn witnesses, were the 
origin and progress of this disease, which for fifteen 
years tortured the unfortunate Romanone, getting ever 
worse, and leaving him no hope of being relieved either 
by the forces of nature or the resources of art. His de- 
formity was so great that he was known throughout the 
entire neighborhood as the “cripple.” 

In the mean time the fame of the miracles worked by 
St. Clare went on increasing daily, and soon an occa- 
sion presented itself which Romanone deemed ex- 
tremely propitious. It was August 22, 1308, the day 
on which the legal document concerning the emblems 
of the passion was being drawn up by the civil and 
ecclesiastical authorities, and these emblems were being 
shown to the faithful amidst a blaze of lights when 
Antony, notwithstanding his wretched state, dragged 
himself to the church to offer them his veneration. At 
sight of these sacred symbols he put forth most fervent 
prayers to the Saint for the cure of his disease, promis- 
ing that if his prayers were heard he would bring to her 


202 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

tomb an offering in token of the favor obtained. He 
had scarcely uttered these prayers and made the 
promises when he felt a gentle perspiration proceed 
from the dried bones and flesh of his diseased leg — an 
undoubted sign that his prayers had been already heard 
by our Saint. In fact, on the following night, as he was 
sleeping calmly, Clare appeared to him surrounded with 
celestial splendor, approached his bed, and seemed to 
him to touch his diseased limb. On the disappearance 
of the vision he awoke, and redoubled his prayers to the 
Saint that she would intercede with God in his behalf. 
But, wonderful to relate, the vision which he had had 
was a reality. The disease had already departed at the 
touch of Clare, and he found himself perfectly cured. 
He could hardly contain himself for joy and ran im- 
mediately to awaken his two brothers, John and Thomas, 
to whom he narrated the occurrence. They could 
scarcely credit it, but he showed them the limb and 
allowed them to touch it with their hands, so that they 
saw that it was not only flexible and as long as the other, 
but that it had also acquired its natural volume. 

To explain all this the unbeliever will say that the 
crisis had come, and that this fact, together with the 
perspiration which had begun the preceding day, and 
the fancy of Antony, stirred up by the alleged appari- 
tion, is sufficient to explain the cure. But crises occur 
only in acute maladies and not in such as that with 
which Romanone was afflicted, as skilled physicians 
know; and besides, as was well remarked by the scien- 
tist who examined the record of the case, not even 
rivers of perspiration would have sufficed to cure the 
diseased limb of this youth. Supposing that an excited 
fancy could have produced the effect of making the leg 
flexible, a point which we absolutely deny, how could 
that fancy clothe in an instant the same leg with the 
flesh of which it had been almost completely stripped 
for years ? Indeed, we may well say that the theories of 


M trades for the Canonization of Clare . 203 

unbelievers are more groundless than the wildest va- 
garies of superstition. The poor youth, who had been 
so miraculously cured, lost no time in repairing to the 
church along with his brothers to fulfill his vow and re- 
turn thanks to God for the wonderful favor bestowed on 
him through the intercession of St. Clare. No trace of 
his disease remained or ever afterwards appeared. 

FOURTH MIRACLE. 

Instantaneous and perfect cure of Flora Nicolai of a complete 
and inveterate Prolapsus Uteri . 

Eight years after the occurrence just detailed, our 
Saint, who was ever ready to succor the afflicted, effected 
another miraculous cure in the case of Flora, the wife of 
Simon Nicolai of Montefalco. This poor woman had 
suffered for three years the most excruciating pains 
from a complete prolapsus titeri , or falling of the womb. 
The physicians who attended her, though well skilled in 
their art, had tried every remedy, but were unable to re- 
lieve her of her spasms, much less to cure her disease. 
In addition to violent inward pains, she suffered also 
from frequent convulsions, cold sweats, loss of strength, 
and many other maladies that usually accompany this 
disease. Tortured in this way, the poor woman could 
not take even the shortest repose; and her condition 
was a source of great grief to her entire family, who saw 
how much she suffered and still could give her no relief. 
It was not to be wondered at, therefore, if the unfortu- 
nate woman, in the delirium occasioned by her suffer- 
ings and the paroxysms of her incurable disease, forget- 
ful of the Christian law which enjoins resignation to the 
Divine will, thought of bringing her miserable existence 
to a close by her own hand. Before executing her ill- 
advised design, however, she told it in confidence to her 
mother. This good woman, on learning the terrible 
resolution of her afflicted daughter, sought by every 
means in her power to dissuade her from carrying it into 


204 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco . 

effect; and in order to console her as best she could, she 
told her of the miracles that had been wrought by St. 
Clare, exhorting her to place her confidence in so power- 
ful an advocate. Flora was moved by these narrations 
and the warm exhortations of her mother, and had im- 
mediate recourse to St. Clare, offering up to her with a 
pious confidence this short and fervent prayer: “Oh! 
holy virgin Clare, deliver me, I beseech thee, from these 
terrible pains, from this frightful disease, and I promise 
that I will fast on bread and water on the vigil of thy 
feast.” Having uttered this prayer she fell into a calm 
and gentle sleep. Whilst in that state the Saint ap- 
peared to her, clothed in a white and shining garment, 
and attended by a companion; and Flora heard as 
plainly as if she were awake these words of gentle cen- 
sure, but likewise of sweet consolation: “ Oh! Christian 
matron, be careful not to put in execution what you are 
contemplating; wait for three days more and you will 
be completely cured.” With this the vision disappeared, 
leaving in the soul of Flora calmness and hope. The 
three days passed and Flora was in reality restored to 
the possession of perfect health. Flora was faithful to 
her promise of fasting on the vigil of St. Clare’s feast, 
and never afterwards suffered from that disease. Out of 
gratitude towards her benefactress, she never ceased to 
make known to all the miracle worked in her behalf by 
St. Clare of Montefalco, and four years afterwards she, 
in company with her mother and her own daughter, 
ma-de statement on oath of the miracle before the apos 
tolic judges and explained to them, for the glory of God* 
and St. Clare, all the circumstances of the case. 

FIFTH MIRACLE. 

Instantaneous and complete cure of a child named Lucarello 
Jacometti of a cancer of both the eyes with blindness and an 
enormous wasting away of the eye-balls , which protmided 
from their sockets. 

In the year 1308, during the fierce intestinal struggle 


Miracles for the Canonization of Clare . 205 

which raged between the two factions known as the 
Guelphs and Ghibellines, the latter party obtained pos- 
session of Spoleto. Angelo Jacometti, who belonged to 
the Guelph faction, was on this account constrained to 
fly his native province and take refuge with his wife and 
child in Montefalco. This child, whose name was Luke, 
was only three years of age at that time, and was usually 
called by his parents out of endearment by the name of 
Lucarello or little Luke. This poor child was seized 
with a violent inflammation of the eyes, which the 
physicians could do nothing to remedy, and which soon 
degenerated into a cancer and by degrees affected both 
eyes. The eye-balls, as was testified to by those who 
saw him, protruded from their sockets by reason of the 
condensation of cellular tissue and hung down in a hor- 
rible malformation over the cheeks; the eye-brows were 
kept forcibly open, and the pupils and sight were com- 
pletely destroyed. A bloody and corrosive humor had, 
moreover, horribly disfigured the parts contiguous to 
the eyes, so that his parents were constrained, when 
they wished to bring him with them anywhere outside 
the house, to cover his face with a dense veil in order 
not to cause a nausea to those who might see him. The 
malady became more threatening every day. The slow 
and continual fever with which he was tormented clearly 
showed that the poisonous matter had already communi- 
cated itself to his entire blood. The emaciation of his 
body and the excessive prostration of his strength 
proved, beyond a doubt, that the poor child was reduced 
to the very last stages. We learn, in fact, from the 
records of the case, that his parents with other persons 
who had come to condole with them in their great afflic- 
tion stood in sadness at the bedside of Lucarello, waiting 
for his innocent soul to wing its way to Heaven. The 
father, however, was not able to endure the sad spectacle, 
and withdrew that he might not be a witness to the 
death of his beloved child. Whilst he was waiting in 


206 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco 

anguish, at a distance, for the message which would tell 
him of the death of his dear Lucarello, a lady appeared 
to him clothed in a religious habit and all radiant with 
glory, who said to him these consoling words, “ Bring 
the child to me and he will be cured,” and then disap- 
peared. Amid doubt and hope he rushes to the bedside 
of his dying child, and puts away all fear on finding him 
still alive. He then tells, with feelings of hope and confi- 
dence, his afflicted wife and all present of the occurrence. 
Being convinced that the religious, who had spoken to 
him in the apparition, was Sister Clare, who had lately 
passed to eternal glory with a great reputation for 
sanctity, he commenced to recommend his dear child to 
her with a lively faith and a firm hope, promising, if the 
Saint would hear his prayer, that he would bring his 
child every year with him to her tomb. On the follow- 
ing day, in obedience to the injunction of Clare, the 
pious parents took their dying child from his little bed, 
and, covering his face as usual with the veil, brought him 
to the Church of the Holy Cross and placed him on the 
tomb of the Saint. Meantime, the father and mother 
poured forth fervent prayers to the Saint, entreating her 
to accomplish what she had promised the night before. 
The child itself was sleeping the calm and placid sleep 
of innocence, no uncertain presage of its near restoration 
to health. An hour had scarcely passed when the pious 
mother awoke the child in hope and lifted the veil from 
his face. Behold! not the slightest trace of the terrible 
malady could be seen. His eyes were completely healed 
and in their natural position, and shone out bright and 
clear. The little fellow raised himself up, and, moved 
by natural instinct, threw himself with exultation upon 
the neck of his mother, who was weeping for joy. 
The pious parents instantly set to work to render suita- 
ble thanksgiving to the celestial benefactress of their 
son. The by-standers, astounded at this miraculous 
cure, wished to examine the boy, and when they saw 


Miracles for the Canonization of Clare. 207 

that Lucarello could see and at the same time danced 
around in his exultation, they were convinced that he 
had recovered not only his sight but also his strength of 
body. The rejoicing child, unlike the blind man in the 
Gospel who had been cured by our Lord, was unable to 
bear testimony of himself to the miracle, but his parents 
did it for him, assuring everyone that their son had 
become really blind, and that now, by the merits of St. 
Clare, he both saw and had been rescued from death. 

SIXTH MIRACLE. 

Instantaneous arid perfect cure of the cleric Chino Rinalducci of 
an inveterate inguinal hernia. 

So many and such great miracles were being continu- 
ally wrought at the tomb of St. Clare that even the faith- 
ful of distant provinces were moved to have recourse to 
her that they might obtain through her intercession the 
health which they had sought in vain from human art. 
Moved by the fame of our Saint, Chino Rinalducci came 
from Orvieto to obtain the cure of his disease. He was 
a cleric, and was attached in this capacity to the monas- 
tery of the Holy Cross in Sassovivo. One day he fell 
through some accident from a high wall and contracted 
from the fall an inguinal hernia. This hernia was so 
severe that, notwithstanding the constant use of the 
truss or belt, he could not keep in the intestines, which 
protruded from the wound and formed a large tumor in 
the injured abdominal region. This rupture had kept 
him in a state of complete inactivity for the space of 
eight years. Moderate walking or the use of any spirit- 
uous beverages, even the lightest wine, was extremely 
painful and injurious to him. The chronic character of 
the disease and his advanced age had taken from him 
every hope of being cured, and there now remained for 
him no other resource save the assistance of some heaven- 
ly advocate. In hope of such aid from on high, he be- 


208 Life of Si. Clare of Montefalco. 

took himself to Montefalco to the tomb of the Saint to 
entreat her that she would deign to be his advocate with 
God. To render her more favorable to his cause he 
made a vow that he would come yearly during his life to 
visit her tomb and would fast on her feast-day. When he 
came to Spoleto he went to pay a visit of courtesy to 
Father James of Foligno, rector of the church of St. 
Apollinaris, and likewise a member of the community of 
Sassovivo. To him he made known the object of his 
journey, the vow which he had made, and the firm confi- 
dence which he entertained of obtaining through the aid 
of St. Clare the cure which he so eagerly desired. The 
good priest on hearing this used every effort to confirm 
him in his confidence and even to increase it. His efforts 
were not in vain, for Chino went without delay to the 
church of St. Apollinaris, and there on bended knees re- 
newed his vow before the altar, and poured forth his sup- 
plications to Clare with redoubled fervor and confidence. 
He did not lose courage, although his prayers were not 
instantly heard. Still the delay was very short. When 
he arose on the following morning iTe found, to his great 
astonishment and delight, that he was perfectly cured. 
Laying aside the belt which he wore, he commenced to 
make experiments of every kind, fatiguing himself by 
walking, riding on horseback, and discharging various 
offices in the monastery, but he did all without the 
slightest inconvenience, and continued long after so to 
occupy himself without ever again suffering from the 
hernia. 

These are the six from among the thirty-five miracles 
in the ancient records which were approved of by the 
Sovereign Pontiff as being more remarkable and better 
supported by proofs than the others. The remaining 
twenty-nine were not subjected to examination, but were 
by no means rejected. It is not our intention to record 
them here, as this would lead us beyond the limits we 
have prescribed for ourselves; but if any of our readers 


Conclusion . 


209 


be desirous of knowing them we refer them to Piergigli 
and other authors who have written the life of our Saint. 


CONCLUSION. 



LTHOUGH the opposition between virtue 
and vice, good and evil, flows continually 
from the same source, nevertheless, as expe- 
rience shows, the forms which this antagonism 
assumes are manifold. The world is unchangeable in 
one thing only, and that is in making war on Jesus 
Christ, who has denounced the malice of its works. It 
is continually changing the means which it employs in 
this conflict. Vice assumes new phases and new names 
according to the age in which it flourishes, and trans- 
forms itself into a thousand shapes that it may adapt it- 
self for its purpose. A cursory glance at the history of 
the human race will suffice to convince anyone that this 
war of vice upon virtue has been waged from the very 
beginning even to the present day, no change taking 
place in it save in the manner of attack. In the midst 
of this untiring conflict there is one grand feature which 
must needs strike the reflecting mind with astonishment, 
and that is the admirable manner in which Divine Prov- 
idence always comes to the aid of virtue and justice by 
raising up holy souls, who by their life, which is diamet- 
rically opposed to the dominant corruption, rout the 
forces of vice and error, which ever seek to make them- 
selves masters of the situation. This Providence of God 
always opposes new modes of defense to the new ways 
of attack. Whence it follows that, though virtue is for- 
mally one, just as the Holy Ghost who infuses it into the 
souls of the just is one, nevertheless, this same virtue is 
manifold and various in its character, and is always 
clothed with some special trait which adapts it to make 
headway against the prevailing corruption. This con- 



2io Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


sideration naturally leads us to admire the Providence of 
God towards His Church in decreeing the high honors 
of our altars to the sainted virgin of Montefalco. 

In point of fact, modern society seems to have denied 
altogether the spiritual and the heavenly in order to busy 
itself solely about the sensible and the earthly. Having 
turned all its attention to the multiplication of material 
enjoyments and the satisfaction of the sensual appetites, 
it measures all things, not by the real, rational good 
which they afford, but by the amount of sensual pleasure 
which can be derived from them. Hence he is a true 
hero in the world’s eyes who has discovered some new 
mode of material comfort. On account of this insatiable 
thirst for earthly joys the maxims of our Divine Redeem- 
er are not only forgotten but despised. The duty of 
continually restraining one’s appetites is, in the eyes of 
the world, nothing else than a check upon the flights of 
genius, and to embrace one’s cross with joy is to the 
world the height of folly. To bring an erring society 
back, then, to the love of virtue and of its real good, God 
strives to counteract the fascinating glamour of worldly 
enjoyment by proposing to it the example of men, and 
even of feeble women, who have acquired true glory, 
imperishable fame, and a home of never-ending happi- 
ness by despising all that the world esteems and embrac- 
ing all that the world despises. The history of the 
Church presents, indeed, for our imitation the examples 
of many women who have given by their lives a new tes- 
timony to the truth of the doctrine which Jesus Christ in 
His infinite wisdom has preached to men; that, namely, 
true happiness is the inheritance of the humble and the 
suffering, of those who weep and follow Him courageous- 
ly and patiently along the thorny path of the cross. The 
life of St. Clare of the Cross, whom Leo XIII. has raised 
to the high honors of our altars, offers to all Christians 
a brilliant illustration of these exalted and important 
principles. In Clare we have, as in other heroes and 


Conclusion . 


21 1 


heroines of the Catholic Church, not only a shining ex- 
ample of poverty, of virginal chastity, and of exact obe- 
dience, according to the counsels of the Divine Master, 
but we have also in her, in an especial manner, the ex- 
ample of the love of the cross of Jesus Christ — of that 
cross which is, according to Holy Writ, the source of all 
knowledge and wisdom, and in which is found the com- 
pendium of the entire teaching of Jesus Christ and the 
very essence of Christianity. In imitation of St. Paul, 
our Saint resolved from her earliest years not to long for 
any other knowledge save that of Jesus Christ, and of 
Him crucified, and likewise not to glory in anything else 
except His Holy Cross. It was for this reason that she 
received the name of Clare of the Cross. She had Jesus 
crucified ever in her mind, in her heart, and on her 
tongue; His influence appeared in all the actions of her 
life, for she lived in Him and by Him, and could well say 
with the Apostle of the Gentiles: “ For me to live is 
Christ.” 

May God forever blessed grant that the example of 
St. Clare may be of avail to free our age from its sensual 
inclinations; that the light of her virtues may shed its 
beams on the minds and hearts of men, and the miracu- 
lous character of her actions inflame them with a holy 
ardor in endeavoring to imitate her. In this way the 
intentions of our holy mother the Church will be fully 
realized, and the hand of Divine Providence, which so 
jealously watches over that Church, will appear still 
more visible in guiding her to raise to the honors of her 
altars the sainted virgin of Montefalco. 


212 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 


APPENDIX. 



|E subjoin here a literal translation from the 
Latin of two decrees of the Sacred Congre- 
gation of Rites. The first was issued during 
the pontificate of Pius IX. and the other dur- 
ing that of the present Pope, Leo XIII. We have already- 
explained at some length the reason why the decree issued 
under Pius IX. was not carried into effect, and why an- 
other decree was issued by the present reigning Pontiff, 
and therefore we refer our reader for the explanation of 
this matter to the thirty-first chapter, in which we treat 
of the Resumption of the Cause of St. Clare. 


DECREE CONCERNING HER VIRTUES. 

DECREE OF THE CANONIZATION 

OF 

BLESSED CLARE OF THE CROSS OF MONTEFALCO, 
Professed Nun of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine. 

A previous apostolic dispensation having been granted 
August 28, 1846, for the discussion of the question 
concerning the virtues of Blessed Clare of the Cross 
of Montefalco, professed nun of the Order of Hermits of 
St. Augustine, which discussion, according to the de- 
crees, should precede any further action in her cause, 
and should be carried on in the ordinary Congregation 
of Sacred Rites, without the presence or vote of the 
Consultors, no one but the prelates attached to said 
Congregation giving their opinion on the matter; and 
the following question having been proposed by His 




A ppendix. 


213 


Eminence Cardinal Constantine Patrizi, Vicar of the 
City and Relater of the cause, at the humble request of 
Rev. Father Nicholas Primavera, Assistant-General of 
the above-mentioned Order and Postulatorof said cause, 
namely — Is it so certain that the afore-mentioned Beata was 
possessed of the theological and cardinal virtues and their acces- 
sories in a heroic degree that the discussion of her miracles may 
take place l — and this question having been duly discussed, 
their Eminences the Cardinals and the Most Rev. Fathers 
attached to said Congregation, assembled in ordinary 
meeting at the Vatican Palace on the day subscribed, 
having maturely weighed and examined all the points 
adduced in the case, and having heard the Rev. Father 
Andrew Mary Frattini, Promotor of the Faith, who ex- 
posed his opinion both orally and in writing, and having 
paid express attention to the peculiar circumstances oc- 
curring in this case, have deemed it good to make the 
following reply: That the point in question is so certain that 
further measures may be taken; that is to say, her canonization 
may be proceeded with after the discussion and approbation of 
two miracles only. Seventh day of September, 1850. 

I, the subscribed secretary, having laid before our 
Most Holy Lord Pius IX., Pope, a faithful report of all 
these proceedings, His Holiness graciously approved of 
them, confirmed the rescript of the Sacred Congrega- 
tion, and gave permission to proceed with the canoni- 
zation of the afore-mentioned Blessed Clare after due 
proof of two miracles only; and this, all decrees to the 
contrary notwithstanding, especially the decree of July 
17 , 1754 . 

The thirteenth day of said month and year. 

A. Card. Lambruschini, 

Prefect of Sacred Congregation of Rites. 

Loco Sigilli. J. G. Fatati, 

Secretary of Sacred Congregation of Rites. 


214 Life of Si. Clare of Monte falco. 


DECREE CONCERNING HER MIRACLES. 

DECREE OF THE CANONIZATION 

OF 

BLESSED CLARE OF THE CROSS OF MONTEFALCO, 

Nun of the Order of St. Augustine, 

On the Question: 

“Are her miracles beyond doubt; and if so, what are the miracles 
which have a bearing on the end proposed?” 

Blessed Clare of the Cross of Montefalco, Nun of the 
Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, died a happy death, 
full of virtues and merits, August 17, a.d. 1308, in 
about the fortieth year of her age. As her name in- 
dicates, she conceived an ardent love for the Cross from 
the first dawn of reason, and meditated daily on the 
Passion of Christ with an affection of soul which grew 
continually more fervent and intense. For this reason 
God endowed her whilst living with many heavenly gifts 
and made her famous after death by many miracles. 
The faithful began to venerate Blessed Clare immedi- 
ately after her decease, and the Bishop of Spoleto deemed 
it advisable to institute an inquiry into her life and vir- 
tues. Very many prelates, cities, and provinces implored 
the Sovereign Pontiff, John XXII., in repeated petitions, 
to declare by solemn decree the pre-eminent character 
of the sanctity of the holy nun. The Sovereign Pontiff, 
being extremely desirous of acquiescing in the wishes 
of so many of the faithful, ordered, in accordance with 
the discipline of the time, an apostolic inquiry to be set 
on foot on two different occasions into the life, virtues, 
and miracles of Blessed Clare, and then handed over the 
reports for examination to three most learned men, car- 
dinals of the Holy Roman Church. Wherefore, in about 
the eighteenth year from the death of Blessed Clare, a 
report of the apostolic inquiry was drawn up by these 
Most Reverend Cardinals, from which it was abundantly 


Appendix . 215 

evident that this Servant of God had excelled in the 
practice of Christian perfection and that God Himself 
had borne witness to her sanctity by the copious and 
constant testimony of miracles. This report, as is told 
by historians worthy of credit, was read in the consistory 
in presence of John XXII., and this Pontiff was on the 
point of enrolling Blessed Clare among the Saints, and 
would have done so, just as he had already raised several 
other holy persons to the honors of the altars, had not 
the peace of the Church been at that time disturbed by 
a serious schism. But in process of time the Apostolic 
See, moved by the widespread reputation for sanctity of 
St. Clare, as well as by the divine argument of her mir- 
acles, not only formally approved of and helped to spread 
the veneration paid her, but also permitted her name to 
be inscribed in the Martyrology, together with a notice 
of the wonderful emblems of the Lord’s Passion, which 
are extant in her heart even at the present day. Finally, 
when in this our time the question was mooted concern- 
ing the resumption of the cause of Blessed Clare, Pius 
IX. of holy memory confirmed the vote of the Sacred 
Congregation of Rites on September 13, 1850, de- 
creeing “ that the virtues of Blessed Clare are so clearly proven 
that further measures may be taken ; that is to say, her cation- 
ization may be proceeded with after the discussion and appro- 
bation of two miracles only. ” 

In consideration, therefore, of this decree, by which 
her virtues are approved of, likewise by reason of her 
great reputation for sanctity, and the lasting glory of 
the prodigies which are to be seen in the heart of 
Blessed Clare, and which have been long a subject of 
admiration, our most holy Lord Leo XIII., Pope, follow- 
ing recent examples, has deemed it suitable to proceed 
to her canonization, since the truth of her miracles is 
placed beyond question by the arguments drawn from 
the apostolic investigation, and long since laid before 
the consistory in proof of the same. In this manner the 


216 Life of St. Clare of Montefalco. 

process begun under John XXII. with such favorable 
auspices will be brought to a happy termination by a 
supreme decision, and Blessed Clare will be enrolled 
amongst the holy virgins who form so great an orna- 
ment of the Church. This happy issue was brought 
about especially by the fact that the extraordinary ex- 
cellence of her virtues and life shone forth in nothing 
more eminently than in her fervent and assiduous love 
of the Cross and Passion of Jesus Christ. So fervently 
and incessantly did she meditate upon these mysteries 
of man’s Redemption that God was pleased by a prodigy 
hitherto unheard of to impress and engrave on her heart 
the representation of the instruments of the Lord’s 
Passion, which had been long before engraven on her 
mind. By this visible testimony and by the lasting 
character of the miracle the remembrance of Christ’s 
Passion is recommended in a wonderful manner for the 
meditation of all who witness it. We may then cherish 
the hope that in these our times, when the love of the 
Cross has grown very cold in Christian society, and 
there are many enemies of the Cross of Christ, whose 
God is their belly and whose glory is in confusion, as 
the Apostle formerly lamented, it has happened by 
divine disposition that this Virgin, who was most devout 
towards the Cross and Passion of Our Lord, should be 
raised to the supreme honors of the altar, so that 
through her example and prayers the love of the Cross 
and a zeal for it might be revived in the hearts and 
habits and daily life of Christians. Our most holy 
Lord, weighing all these things in his mind, entrusted 
to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, by a decree of 
April 2 6, of the current year, the examination and 
consideration of the miracles which were reported in the 
aforesaid apostolic investigation as having been wrought 
through the intercession of Blessed Clare. In the mean 
time, the authentic acts of the report of the afore-men- 
tioned apostolic investigation concerning the virtues and 


Appendix . 


217 


miracles of this Servant of God were found, contrary to 
all hope, not without the assistance of Clare herself. 
Of these miracles, which were very numerous, the car- 
dinals who formed the committee of examination of the 
report had mentioned in their report thirty- five with all 
circumstances, even the most minute. 

Wherefore, in a particular congregation held at the 
Vatican on July 30 of this year, according to the 
aforesaid decree, the Most Rev. Cardinal Thomas Mary 
Martinelli, Relater of the Cause, proposed the following 
question: “ Are her miracles beyond doubt j and if so, what 
are the miracles which have a bearing on the end proposed ?'* 
Out of the thirty-five miracles which had been proposed 
in this case to the Sovereign Pontiff John XXII., the 
Sacred Congregation discussed and maturely weighed 
six as being more eminent than the rest, and declared 
its opinion concerning each of these in the affirmative. 
Our most holy Lord gladly received this opinion 
August 11, it being faithfully reported to him by 
me the undersigned secretary. But he declared that, 
before he confirmed this decision, the divine light should 
be implored in a matter of such importance. 

Accordingly, by the inspiration of God, His Holiness 
finally appointed this day, the fourteenth Sunday after 
Pentecost, on which to pronounce his decretory sentence. 
Wherefore, having previously offered up the Holy Sacri- 
fice in his private chapel, he entered the most noble hall 
of the Vatican Palace, and, seated on his throne, called 
to him the Most Rev. Cardinal Camillus di Pietro, 
Bishop of Ostia and Velletri and Dean of the Sacred 
College, in place of the Most Rev. Cardinal Dominic 
Bartolini, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, 
then absent from Rome, and the Most Rev. Cardinal 
Thomas Mary Martinelli, Relater of the Cause, together 
with the Rev. Father Lawrence Salvati, Promotor of the 
Holy Faith, and me the undersigned secretary, and in 
presence of the above-mentioned persons solemnly de- 


2 1 8 Life of St. Clare of Monte falco. 

dared, whilst confirming the decision of the aforesaid 
Congregation, that the following six miracles were beyond 
all doubt, namely: 

I. The wonderful representation of the mysteries 
of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ found in the 
heart of Blessed Clare — a miracle of the first-class; 

Likewise the instantaneous and perfect cure of 

VI. The boy, Cetto Speranza, of a monstrous varus of 
the feet contracted from his birth; 

VII. The youth, Antony Romanone, of an inveterate 
lameness, together with contraction of the left leg, anky- 
losis, and other grave symptoms; 

XV. Flora Nicolai, of a complete and inveterate pro- 
lapsus uteri; 

XIX. The child, Lucarello Jacometti, of a cancer of 
the eyes, together with blindness, and an enormous 
wasting away of the eye-balls which protruded from 
their sockets; 

XXIII. The cleric, Chino Rinalducci, of an inveterate 
inguinal hernia on the right side; 

And therefore, considering the decree already issued in ap- 
probation of her virtues and all the other measures which had 
been duly taken in the cause, that the solemn Canonization of 
Blessed Clare of the Cross may be safely proceeded with . 

He then ordered that a decree to this effect be made 
public, and be enrolled in the acts of the Sacred Con- 
gregation of Rites, and that Apostolic letters concerning 
the solemnities of her canonization to be celebrated at 
any future date be issued under the leaden seal on 
September u, 1881. 

For His Eminence 

The Most Rev. Lord Cardinal Dominic Bartolini, 

Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites , 
Camillus Cardinal di Pietro, 

Bishop of Ostia and Velletri. 
Loco Sigilli. Placidus Ralli, 

Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. 


Appendix . 


219 


THE HEART OF ST. CLARE OF MONTEFALCO. 

BY ELEANOR C. DONNELLY. 

Living, she fed her heart upon the food 
Of Christ’s dear Passion; brooded night and day 
Upon the Cross, the Nails, the Lance, the Blood, 

The Thorns which crown’d His temples, bruised and gray. 

Dying, they found within her heart, wide-riven, 

The symbols of that Passion, pure and fine, 

Sculptured as tho’ from ivory, — great Heaven! 

The mystic carving of a Hand Divine! 

The Cross, the Nails, the Lance, the Crown of Thorns, 

The Sponge that held the vinegar and gall, — 

The Passion-Flower treasures, while it mourns, 

The same blest symbols in its calyx small. 

O Heart of Montefalco’s sainted Clare ! 

Thoii wert the Passion-Flower of our Lord, 

For in thy depths, as in that floweret fair, 

The emblems of His love and grief were stored. 

Pray for us then, dear Saint, this Passion tide, 

The while our hearts take root in Calvary’s sod; 

They, there, may blossom, shrines of the Crucified, 

Sweet Passion-Flowers of a suffering God! 

Note. — This poem was written for the Catholic Chronicle of Bay 
City, Michigan, and, with the permission of its editor, Mr. J. W. S. 
Norris, and of the author, is inserted here. In order to understand 
the allusions in these verses, Chapter XXVIII. of this book should be 
read. 


THE END. 



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